On Sunday, October 5th, the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles faced the 2-2 Denver Broncos at the Linc, where they unfortunately lost 21-18. It was once again a week of despair and sorrow, as Eagles fans were left disappointed with the team’s performance and efforts. After getting handed their first loss of the season, fans are wondering where the team goes from here.
The game started off very uneventful, as both teams weren’t doing much on offense. The Eagles were trying a more pass-heavy approach, after criticism from fans and star wideout A.J Brown, in particular. The team was trying their best to get Brown involved, and it led to RB Saquon Barkley only having six carries the whole game. The Broncos scored first with a field goal, and the Eagles answered back with their own to tie the game 3-3.
In the second quarter, it was a pure defensive showdown, with the only score being a Jalen Hurts touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert. The Eagles were up 10-3 going into halftime. Shawn Mathew, a senior at BASH, stated his feelings about the game at that point: “I was not surprised to see the Eagles winning. To me, the Eagles are a very dominant team, and I would expect them to do that to a team like Denver. Especially after the game against the Rams and Bucs. I expected it to continue that way in the second half.”
In the third quarter, the Eagles immediately scored a touchdown on their first possession, with Jalen Hurts throwing a 47 yard pass to Saquon Barkley. This put the Eagles in a good position going into the fourth quarter, where they were up 17-3. With the way the defense was playing, it would seem like the game was over then and there. However, the Broncos had another trick up their sleeve and took control of the game.
The first score of the quarter went to J.K Dobbins, as he ran for a two yard touchdown. Denver made it a one score game, and didn’t stop there. Bo Nix threw an 11 yard touchdown pass to TE Evan Engram to go down by one point 17-16. Instead of going for the extra point and tying the game, they went for a two-point conversion and converted it. Denver took the lead 18-17 with 7:36 left to go in the quarter. Still plenty of time to retake the lead, the Eagles couldn’t manage to drive down the field and take the lead. With one minute left, Wil Lutz hit a 36-yard field goal to make the score 21-17. Needing a touchdown in the final minute, the Eagles threw up a hail mary, which was to no avail. Denver won the game.
It has been a terrible week for Philly sports fans. The Phillies have lost both of their games against the Dodgers, Penn State lost in football to a lackluster UCLA team, and now the Eagles lost to the Broncos. The Eagles have been super disappointing, with many offensive struggles to start the season, despite being 4-1 and winning the division. The Eagles tried something new this week, and it clearly didn’t work out as well as they hoped. Matthew said, “They need to just keep doing what they’re doing, which is win games. They need to work on maintaining a lead, because the past couple of games have been pretty rough. I also don’t know why they are so throw heavy, they should run the ball more to Saquon Barkley. I wasn’t that upset about the game though, I think it was just a fluke. They will bounce back next week.”
Hopefully, the Eagles can bounce back this Thursday night against the New York Giants, who are currently last place in the division. This loss should be a wake-up call to the team and give them motivation to go out and dominate in East Ruthorford.
