A promising drive was cooking like a perfect low-and-slow pork shoulder. Then, the Eagles’ offense suddenly lost all its heat. For nearly three quarters on Sunday, Philadelphia looked every bit the undefeated powerhouse. But a football game is a marathon of moments, and the Eagles completely lost their stride when it mattered most.
That collapse culminated in a 21-17 home loss to the Denver Broncos, marking the Eagles' first defeat of the 2025 season. The aftermath revealed a critical disconnect, particularly on one play that will haunt the team for years to come. With a 17-3 lead late in the third quarter, Jalen Hurts unleashed a deep ball for a wide-open A.J. Brown. The pass sailed harmlessly incomplete. After the game, Hurts didn’t shy away from the miss’s significance, framing it as a massive lost opportunity to secure the win.
***"That situation, in that play, that was a shot,"***Hurts stated. ***"So you either hit it or you don't, and we didn't hit that one. But in that moment in the game, it's about finding a way to put the dagger in them. And that definitely could have been a dagger in the game."***This wasn't just one isolated misfire.
The Eagles' offense, which had moved the ball effectively, utterly vanished after taking that two-touchdown lead. The unit that seemed capable of scoring at will suddenly couldn't buy a first down. Meanwhile, the defense, which had been stellar for three quarters, finally cracked under the pressure.
They surrendered 18 unanswered points in the final period. The Eagles' machine was breaking down at the worst possible time. So, what exactly caused this Jekyll and Hyde performance?
Eagles' Breakdown in Communication
The missed deep shot symbolized a larger issue. Brown offered his own view of the play, saying, “From my point of view, it was just a miss.”More tellingly, when asked if he talked to Hurts after the play, Brown simply said, “No.” This apparent lack of sideline communication between the quarterback and his top receiver points to a concerning disconnect. Moreover, DeVonta Smith hinted at operational issues, mentioning missed hand signals at the line of scrimmage that threw the timing of the offense out of sync.
The fourth quarter was a masterclass in self-destruction. Critical, drive-killing penalties repeatedly bailed out the Broncos. An illegal shift negated a huge 30-yard completion to Smith on a crucial fourth down. Later, a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty on Zack Baun extended Denver's game-sealing drive. The offense's complete disappearance is starkly illustrated by its final drives:
A 5-play, 23-yard drive ending in a punt.
Three consecutive 3-and-outs, gaining a total of -20 yards.
Read more:Jalen Hurts shows true character with honest confession after Broncos loss
The Eagles beat themselves with uncharacteristic mistakes. The team that prides itself on discipline and detail was suddenly unrecognizable. Hurts remained defiant about the team's potential, asserting, “It's not a capability thing. We know what we're capable of. We're just not doing those things yet. But we will.”The Eagles must now regroup on a short week, carrying the sting of a lesson they should have already learned.