September 16, 2024
A win with some warts evaporated into a back-breaking, abject disaster of a loss in 65 seconds for the Eagles.
Up 21-15 on the Falcons with under two minutes on the clock, the Eagles allowed Atlanta, not particularly a franchise known for its late-game heroics historically, to orchestrate a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive that took just 1:05 off the clock.
The Eagles faithful that turned out left Lincoln Financial Field in utter disbelief with a score of 22-21 on the board and all zeroes on the clock staring at them.
The Eagles didn't play particularly well, especially relative to what Atlanta put on display in an 18-10 Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh. There were baffling red zone calls for the Eagles' offense. The passing game sputtered with A.J. Brown sidelined with a hamstring injury, which reportedly will keep him out of the lineup for a "couple of weeks." It looked like it was going to be a vintage 2021-style win back when Brown wasn't here and Jalen Hurts was explosive as a runner. Hurts ran for 95 yards and Saquon Barkley put up 85 yards of his own. Barkley had a costly, costly drop late that could've made it a two-score game instead of a one-score affair before that fateful, blistering Atlanta scoring drive.
The Eagles' offense is down their best player. The Eagles' defense isn't. At least I don't think they are because I have no idea who that individual is right now.
The Eagles will always pour massive resources into their defensive line. What happens when they don't get any return on those investments though?
That glaring problem is cropping up with their d-line. The Eagles have spent three first-round picks on pass-rushers over the last two seasons between Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. They traded up for the first two of those guys who were viewed up as players who could be legitimate franchise cornerstones.
On the edge, Josh Sweat is a Pro Bowler who had 11 sacks two years ago. The front office inked newcomer Bryce Huff to a contract worth $51 million this offseason. Star power, high draft picks and big money are all converging here with back-breaking results.
Kirk Cousins can barely move in the pocket for the Falcons as he still recovers from a 2023 season-ending Achilles injury. It didn't matter. He had time to throw all night at Lincoln Financial Field, particularly as he toasted the secondary late in the fourth quarter. It looked like a first-team offense getting training camp reps in against the scout squad. The run defense proved even worse. Atlanta went for 152 yards on the ground. Star back Bijan Robinson went for 97 on his own, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. If the Falcons ran it more often earlier, the score isn't even as close as it is.
This is easily reminiscent of the Eagles' 2022 prime-time loss to Seattle. A new signal-caller is here for the D in Vic Fangio, but the early results don't look too much different than what transpired in 2023.
The Eagles are on a short week, heading to New Orleans to face a Saints team that has put up a combined 91 points over the first two weeks of the season. That's a bad recipe.
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