There goes the perfect record.
A scoreless fourth-quarter performance from the Philadelphia Eagles proved to be the catalyst for a shocking 21-17 comeback defeat to the Denver Broncos.
It may only be Philadelphia’s first defeat of the NFL season, but a catastrophic implosion highlighted a major issue that the franchise must swiftly rectify.
Despite storming to a 17-3 lead in the first half, several missed opportunities and a scoreless fourth quarter resulted in the Eagles snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Lack of invention in the offense
One major talking point before the 2025-26 campaign commenced was the range of offensive tools that star quarterback Jalen Hurts had at his disposal.
However, newly appointed offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has struggled to manufacture an effective game plan to utilise the elite talent this roster possesses That resulted in a string of uninspiring performances.
During their run to becoming 2025 Super Bowl champions, Philadelphia’s offense had several variations that made it impossible for their opponents to contain it.
Barkley’s explosive runs would carry the Eagles 50 yards down the field in one snap. If this tactic was not working, Hurts would throw a deep ball to either A.J. Brown or Devonta Smith to gain serious yardage.
Nevertheless, this year has seen Barkley become a shadow of the record-breaking player we witnessed last year. Meanwhile, Brown appears to be frustrated with his lack of action when he has taken the field.
Penalties compound frustrations
Defensively, Philadelphia have still exhibited a resilient figure.
Sophomore cornerback Quinyon Mitchell has turned in some magnificent performances of late, resulting in him being awarded the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award for the first time in his career.
Yet, Vic Fangio’s defense has still had its issues, mainly coming in the form of needless penalties.
During the Broncos defeat, Mitchell made an essential tackle on third down. Only seconds later, Zack Baun made an uncharacteristic error and was called for unnecessary roughness for a late challenge on running back R.J. Harvey.That handed Denver a fresh set of downs.
Of course, it is easy to forget that at this stage last year, the Philadelphia Eagles had just suffered a blowout defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, they did have the luxury of a bye week to solve the problems they were having.
There is still a long way to go in the 2025-26 season. But supporters of the reigning champions will be hoping that head coach Nick Sirianni has a master plan up his sleeve to prevent this defeat from snowballing into a catastrophic issue.
