PHILADELPHIA \u2014 The Eagles had the Rams beaten.<\/p>\n
Then they didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
A 20-10 halftime lead became a 24-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, dropping the Eagles to 2-2 with consecutive defeats and a long flight to London coming up.<\/p>\n
They overcame a roster that seemed to lose another starter every few series. They intercepted Matthew Stafford twice. They led by two scores with less than four minutes left. But still lost.<\/p>\n
Here are five things we learned:<\/p>\n
1. Halftime is hazardous<\/p>\n
Whatever the Eagles are doing at halftime, they might want to try something else.<\/p>\n
They have been outscored 54-20 in the second half through four games. Worse, they have been blanked 31-0 in the second half of their two losses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it\u2019s good, it\u2019s great. And when it\u2019s not good, it\u2019s just a little stagnant,\u201d said Cam Jurgens, who has been playing left guard instead of his usual spot at center, with Landon Dickerson out and Drew Kendall inserted at center,<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not able to build on things,\u201d Jurgens said.<\/p>\n
Jalen Hurts had just 10 passing yards after halftime Sunday. The Eagles\u2019 five full second-half possessions ended punt, downs, punt, downs, punt. Then, trailing 24-20 with 1:10 remaining, Hurts was sacked twice on their last gasp.<\/p>\n
\u201cPoor execution,\u201d Hurts said. \u201cPoor execution. Yeah, poor execution. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any other way to put it.\u201d<\/p>\n
At some point, a trend becomes an identity. Right now, the Eagles are a lousy second-half football team.<\/p>\n
![\"Running](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-2298559000.jpg\")
Running back Saquon Barkley (26) of the Philadelphia Eagles is evaluated by the medical staff during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images)
\n2. Lane\u2019s absence looms large<\/p>\n
Lane Johnson was expected to play. Then, roughly two hours before kickoff, the Eagles listed him as questionable because of a personal matter. Ninety minutes before kickoff, he was inactive.<\/p>\n
That left rookie third-round pick Markel Bell (6-foot-9, 345 pounds) making his first NFL start at right tackle. Bell battled, as coach Nick Sirianni put it, but the Rams knew exactly where to attack. They blitzed Hurts heavily and kept Bell on his heels.<\/p>\n
He ostensibly was drafted to be Johnson\u2019s eventual replacement, but he was tossed into the fire sooner than expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only attest to the guys that were on the field,\u201d left tackle Jordan Mailata said when asked about Johnson. \u201cI don\u2019t like playing those sort of what-ifs, or could-have-done-this, should-have-done-this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s situation is bigger than one game. He also missed time during training camp because of a personal family matter, and he has missed games in the past due to anxiety and depression. It\u2019s unclear if Sunday\u2019s absence was related to any of those issues or if Johnson will even be back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see where we are,\u201d Sirianni said when asked whether Johnson would return.<\/p>\n
Johnson is 36 and said this summer that this season is \u201cprobably\u201d his last. The Eagles already are without backup tackle Fred Johnson because of a knee injury. If Lane Johnson misses more time, an offensive line already searching for consistency suddenly has another large problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s football. It\u2019s always the next man up,\u201d Jurgens said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough because that\u2019s one of our brothers. We miss him out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Philadelphia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lane-Johnson-presser-camp-08082026.jpg\")
Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson speaks with reporters inside the media tent at Jefferson Health Training Complex on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)
\n3. Sirianni rolled snake eyes<\/p>\n
Nick Sirianni has built much of his coaching identity around aggression. Sometimes you live by it. Sometimes you leave three points lying on the grass and watch Matthew Stafford drive 98 yards the other way.<\/p>\n
Leading 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Eagles reached the Rams\u2019 2-yard line. A field goal would have made it 23-10. Instead, Sirianni went for it on fourth-and-2. Hurts passed incomplete after the Birds had just driven 62 yards on 10 straight runs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that situation right there, try to make it a three-score game,\u201d Sirianni said. \u201cWe would\u2019ve gone up 13, but I wanted to make it a three-score game right there.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is logic to that. A touchdown makes it 27-10. Failure pins Los Angeles against its own goal line. But there also was an old-fashioned option available: Take the points and change the complexion of the game.<\/p>\n
And then the defense allowed a reinvigorated Rams squad to go 98 yards for a touchdown and suddenly trailed only 20-17.<\/p>\n
It was Sirianni\u2019s second failed fourth-down gamble. Late in the third quarter, the Eagles tried the tush push on fourth-and-1 from their own 38 and got stuffed. Sirianni didn\u2019t dodge responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go for it and you get it, great,\u201d he said. \u201cYou go for it and you don\u2019t get it, that\u2019s on the head coach. We didn\u2019t get it, so that\u2019s on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Wide](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-2297994174.jpg\")
Wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) of the Los Angeles Rams jumps into the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Mitchell Leff\/Getty Images)
\n4. This offense is lost<\/p>\n
The Eagles gained just 172 yards. They made only 12 first downs. Hurts threw for just 93 yards. They went 0-for-12 on third down.<\/p>\n
That is not one busted play or one missed block. It is systemic failure. The Eagles also went 0-for-5 on third down in the second half against Chicago, meaning they have failed on 17 consecutive third-down attempts over the last six quarters.<\/p>\n
Sirianni spread the responsibility among players and coaches. Sean Mannion\u2019s offense remains without a clear identity four games into the season. The under-center and play-action game that was supposed to become a larger part of the offense has come and gone. The outside-zone running game flashed Sunday, then faded. Protection broke down when the Rams blitzed.<\/p>\n
Sirianni acknowledged the obvious when asked what the offense\u2019s identity is.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been good enough,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s obvious that we\u2019re still trying to figure that out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four games isn\u2019t a season. But it is no longer training camp, either.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just sick,\u201d Jurgens said. \u201cI\u2019m sick we lost this game the way we did and just weren\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Eagles are a quarter of the way home and still asking who they are.<\/p>\n
![\"Running](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-2298580603.jpg\")
Running back Kyren Williams (23) of the Los Angeles Rams dives into the end zone for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images)
\n5. The infirmary is filling up<\/p>\n
The Eagles entered Sunday without DeVonta Smith (hamstring), Zack Baun (concussion), Marcus Epps (groin), Hollywood Brown (ankle), Fred Johnson (knee) and Dallas Goedert (knee). Plus Lane Johnson\u2019s late scratch.<\/p>\n
Then the game started.<\/p>\n
Saquon Barkley injured his right hamstring after two carries and was ruled out. Quinyon Mitchell suffered a knee injury and did not return. Jonathan Greenard, only recently back from a pectoral injury, left with an ankle injury and was ruled out. Tank Bigsby (hip) needed help off the field late. Cooper DeJean (undisclosed) and Drew Kendall (undisclosed) also made trips to the medical tent before returning.<\/p>\n
That is how you wind up trying to protect a lead against Stafford and Puka Nacua with pieces disappearing by the quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could ask me that question if we had 30 guys down,\u201d Sirianni said. \u201cI\u2019m never going to use anything as an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fair enough. Injuries didn\u2019t make the Eagles go 0-for-12 on third down. Injuries didn\u2019t force them to leave three points on the field. But with the Jacksonville Jaguars coming up in London, the Eagles\u2019 health might determine how quickly they can fix everything else.<\/p>\n
Notes<\/p>\n
\u2022 Darius Cooper caught three passes for 33 yards, but two went for touchdowns. Three of his first four receptions this season have gone for scores.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Andrew Mukuba intercepted Stafford on the Rams\u2019 opening possession and returned it 21 yards. It was his third career interception.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Cooper DeJean added another interception late in the first half. The Eagles entered the game without a takeaway this season and got two Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Jake Elliott hit from 29 and 56 yards. He is 2-for-2 from 50-plus this season and owns a franchise-record 35 field goals from at least 50 yards, including the playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Britain Covey had a 41-yard punt return that set up Cooper\u2019s first touchdown. It was his longest punt return since his career-high 54-yarder against the Giants on Christmas Day 2023.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Jeremiah Trotter Jr., starting for Baun and finished with a career-high and game-high 15 tackles. He missed a big one at the end, but overall was effective.<\/p>\n
\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA \u2014 The Eagles had the Rams beaten. Then they didn\u2019t. A 20-10 halftime lead became a 24-20…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299975,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1418,69,4538,71,70,726,432],"class_list":["post-299974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-nfl","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-eagles","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-sports","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}