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It was all going according to plan for the Philadelphia Eagles. Well, until it wasn’t. For three quarters, the reigning Super Bowl champions looked every bit like a team poised to stay perfect. Jalen Hurts was launching deep balls with confidence. DeVonta Smith hauled in a 52-yard reception. Saquon Barkley ripped off a dazzling 47-yard touchdown catch. Philadelphia built a commanding 14-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and appeared on cruise control toward 5-0.
A combination of stalled drives, ill-timed penalties, and defensive breakdowns flipped the script entirely. The Denver Broncos, once gasping for air, roared back with 21 unanswered points. Their rally was capped by a gutsy two-point conversion that gave them a 21-17 lead. When Hurts’ final pass fell incomplete in the end zone with four seconds left, the Eagles’ perfect start vanished in stunning fashion.
The Eagles finished with nine penalties for 55 yards. That was less than Denver’s 12 for 121. However, Philly’s errors were far more costly. An unnecessary roughness call on linebacker Zack Baun kept Denver’s game-clinching drive alive. Meanwhile, an illegal shift by Barkley erased a critical fourth-down conversion earlier in the quarter. This wasn’t a loss handed to them by circumstance. The Eagles beat themselves, and that is quite concerning.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the Philadelphia Eagles’ panic meter after their 2nd-half collapse in loss to Broncos.
The turning point came from the offense’s sudden and complete loss of rhythm. After dominating the first three quarters, the Eagles managed just 48 total yards on their final five drives. They even punted four times and watched their two-touchdown cushion evaporate. The play-calling leaned heavily on the passing game. They abandoned Barkley even though he averaged nearly six yards per touch. The result was a predictable, stagnant attack that Denver’s defense eagerly dismantled.
Penalties only magnified the dysfunction. Barkley’s illegal shift cost the Eagles a crucial conversion deep in Broncos territory. Also, Baun’s late hit gave Denver extra life during their comeback drive. Those mental errors compounded an offense that couldn’t execute under pressure. These basically turned a sure win into a crushing defeat.
Apart from their on-field mistakes, injuries continue to chip away at the Eagles’ biggest strength. That’s their offensive line. For the third straight week, a key starter went down. This time, it was left guard Landon Dickerson. He exited in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. A three-time Pro Bowler and one of the team’s most reliable blockers, Dickerson’s absence forced Brett Toth into extended action. It was far from ideal.
This has become a concerning trend. Two weeks ago, it was right tackle Lane Johnson dealing with a shoulder issue. The week before that, he missed time with a stinger. Now, Dickerson’s injury only adds to the uncertainty. His history of ankle problems also...
