October 04, 2026
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Darius Cooper had one hell of a day for the Eagles in Week 4.
It's hard to win football games when you're 0-for-third downs. It's also hard to win without most of your best players.
The Birds defense had a solid showing for three and a half quarters against the high-powered Rams. But they fell apart, predictably, late, as the offense showed little and the defense was running on fumes. A 20-10 lead evaporated in a 24-20 loss.
Philadelphia falls to 2-2 and heading to London next week with some momentum and confidence. Here's our weekly stock watch — look at something to be excited, and dismayed about, after a pretty costly setback in Week 4:
We'll start with the good. Or what good we can muster.
There was a lot more to feel good about in this game than last week in Chicago (is that saying much?).
The Eagles finally got their first takeaways of the season (thanks to Andrew Mukuba and Cooper DeJean interceptions), the defense flexed against the high-powered Rams and they leaned on the next man up as injuries wrecked havoc on the depth chart.
But there was one particular sequence, with the offense, defense and special teams working in perfect concert with one another that was perhaps the biggest positive takeaway from Sunday's gut-wrenching loss. Let's go back to around the seven minute mark in the second quarter:
[Special teams] A fantastic punt and work from the coverage team pinned the Rams against their own end zone at the 7-yardline.
[Defense] The defense created a ton of pressure and the secondary stuck on the Rams pass catchers like glue, forcing three consecutive incompletions including a diving third down break up by Michael Carter to force a L.A. Punt.
[Special teams] Perpetually underrated punt returner Britain Covey fielded the ensuing punt just across midfield. He wiggled and darted his way 41-yards to the Rams' 17.
[Offense] After a failed designed Jalen Hurts run, the QB scrambled to the right on the second play of the short drive, heaving a pass toward the end zone.
OH MY DARIUS COOPER 🤯 pic.twitter.com/adE7VVSDSo
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 4, 2026
What an incredible Darius Cooper snag there. That ball looked like a sure interception when it left Hurts' arm, was tipped by Rams' defender Quentin Lake, and somehow training camp darling Cooper caught that ball as he fell on his back. Cooper would catch another TD later in the first half.
When's the last time all three phases were on fire like that, one after the other? The Eagles showed they can do it. The defense is getting better each week, and the offense is slowly starting to learn Sean Mannion's new scheme. The Rams are probably out of the Eagles' league. It's a long season. If they can do more of that, maybe they turn the corner in a few weeks.
Now if only they could get healthy...
Before the season started, our Jimmy Kempski listed the 10 players the Eagles can least afford to lose to injury. Five of them either didn't suit up in this one, or got hurt. In addition, the Eagles' top free agent acquisition also got hurt... well...
It was ugly.
• Lane Johnson was a surprise scratch before kickoff Sunday. The Eagles are 122-63-1 with Johnson starting. They're 18-30 without him.
• Zack Baun was ruled out during the week due to a concussion.
• Ace wideout DeVonta Smith didn't practice this week and missed Week 4 with a hamstring injury.
• Fellow pass catcher Dallas Goedert has a sprained MCL, and his injury prompted the Eagles to bring back Zach Ertz last week.
• Safety Marcus Epps sat out with a groin injury.
• Saquon Barkley carried two times before coming up limp with a hamstring injury of his own in the first quarter.
• All-Pro corner Quinyon Mitchell took a collision on the left sideline later in the game and didn't return with a knee injury. The good news is he was riding a stationary bike, back pedaling and stretching on the sidelines so it doesn't look like a serious setback.
• Free agent Jonathan Greenard went to the locker room during the second half with an ankle injury.
• Cooper DeJean was roughed up and went to the tent — thankfully he did return.
• Late in the fourth, with the Eagles needing to run down clock to win, Tank Bigsby was tackled hard on a first down run and didn't return.
In addition, the Eagles converted exactly zero of their 12 third down attempts. They were out-gained by the Rams 415-to-172 and out possessed 32 minutes to 28. And they still nearly won the game, if not for back-to-back Rams scoring drives at the end of the fourth.
What a weird game.
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