The Philadelphia Eagles lost. That’s not something they’re used to doing of late, and frankly, their loss was a little overdue. The Denver Broncos were the team that was finally able to take advantage of the Birds’ mistakes. As always, win, lose, or tie, we hand out 10 awards.
### 1) The ‘Different Books’ Award: Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown
Late in the third quarter, still holding onto a 14-point lead, the Eagles called a shot play—a “dagger,” as Jalen Hurts called it during his postgame press conference. The play was wide open. Brown looked up for the ball but, when he didn’t see it initially, stopped running momentarily before realizing Hurts had indeed let it rip. The ball sailed harmlessly over Brown’s head for an incompletion on what should have been a game-sealing touchdown.
Execution mistakes happen, but what was more alarming was Brown’s and Hurts’ commentary about the play after the game. Asked if he talked to Hurts after the play, Brown said, “No.” Hurts was asked what corrections or adjustments he’d make with a receiver on the sideline following that kind of play, and he more or less didn’t directly answer. “In that situation, that play was a shot,” Hurts said. “So, you either hit it or you don’t, and we didn’t hit that one. We’ll watch the tape when we get the opportunity and learn from it. But in that moment in the game, it’s about finding a way to put the dagger in them, and that could have been the dagger.”
It’s clear Hurts and Brown do not have the personal relationship they once did. If they can’t discuss what’s happening on the field in-game—and for the record, from the press box, it was apparent they weren’t communicating on the sideline—that’s a big problem. It’s not just that Hurts and Brown aren’t on the same page—they’re in entirely different books right now.
### 2) The ‘Nah’ Award: The Eagles’ Rushing Attack
Hurts attempted 38 passes in this game, while Saquon Barkley only had six carries. He did break off a big 17-yard run on one attempt, but otherwise, Barkley carried just five times for 13 yards. Perhaps that’s normal in a game the Eagles were trailing, but they led for almost the entire matchup.
I remember when the Eagles built big leads and the entire stadium knew they were going to run the ball—and still, they were able to do it effectively. That’s not been their reality this season. They can’t run it well, and now, they’re hesitant to even try.
### 3) The ‘Out of Gas’ Award: The Eagles’ Defense
For most of the day, the Eagles’ defense was excellent. The Broncos’ first eight drives went like this: Punt, 55-yard field goal, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt.
Against the Buccaneers in Week 4, the offense repeatedly put the defense in tough situations with quick three-and-outs—but the defense bailed them out time and again. The same pattern continued against Denver, until finally, the defensive dam broke. The Broncos’ last three possessions covered:
– 10 plays, 64 yards, touchdown
– 6 plays, 72 yards, touchdown + 2-point conversion
– 11 plays, 50 yards, field goal
The Eagles’ defense was fresh out of bailouts.
### 4) The ‘Didn’t Help’ Award: The Officials
During Denver’s final drive, Bo Nix was wrapped up by Jalyx Hunt and threw the ball away into the ground. Officials huddled and decided to flag Nix for intentional grounding, placing the ball at the Broncos’ 29-yard line, setting up a 3rd-and-24.
Then suddenly, the referee announced that Broncos tight end Adam Trautman was in the area and overturned the penalty, ruling it an incomplete pass instead. The ball was re-spotted at Denver’s 47 for a 3rd-and-6, which Denver converted.
Intentional grounding calls are reviewable only for:
– Whether the quarterback was in the pocket
– Whether the ball traveled past the line of scrimmage
What’s *not* reviewable is whether a receiver is in the area of the pass.
Pool reporter Zach Berman interviewed the officials after the game. Here’s their explanation:
> “So what happened there, we have an O2O—that’s our official-to-official communication system. My O2O was not working. Grounding is a teamwork foul. I had intentional grounding. The line judge had that there was a receiver in the area (#28), but I didn’t hear the info over O2O, so I threw the flag. The line judge came in and let me know that 28 indeed was there, so we picked up the flag.”
Honestly, that explanation sounds like nonsense. We’ll have much more on this soon.
### 5) The ‘Chance To Win, Part I’ Award: The Eagles’ Poor Offensive Operation
Down 18-17, the Eagles had a chance to score a touchdown (plus a two-point conversion attempt) or kick a lead-changing field goal. Facing 4th-and-4 from their own 49-yard line, they made a bold call to go for it. Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith down the left sideline for a 30-yard gain to the Denver 21.
But… Oh no! They were called for an illegal shift—a procedural penalty. That 1st-and-10 from the Broncos’ 21 became 4th-and-9 from the Eagles’ own 44, leading to a punt.
The Eagles usually pride themselves on limiting these kinds of mistakes and are usually very sound in this department. Not today.
### 6) The ‘Chance to Win, Part II’ Award: The Officials, Again
The Eagles got the ball with 1:06 left at their own 26-yard line. They drove down to the Denver 29 when Hurts threw to Dallas Goedert. Denver safety JL Skinner was clearly guilty of pass interference on the play—yet no flag was thrown.
This was an egregious no-call. The Eagles should have had the ball inside the five-yard line with one last chance to win. Instead, they had to settle for an ill-fated Hail Mary attempt.
### 7) The ‘Baby Steps’ Award: The Passing Game
Despite the loss, the passing game showed some signs of progress. Smith had eight catches for 114 yards, the offensive line often gave Hurts plenty of time to throw, and there were several big plays open downfield—some connections made, some squandered.
Overall, it seemed like a step in the right direction in certain areas.
### 8) The ‘Rest Up’ Award: Landon Dickerson
Dickerson injured his ankle in the first half and was ruled out early in the second half. It looks like he could miss some time. He hasn’t seemed fully healthy all year so far, so injuries aren’t good (#analysis).
However, in this case, maybe the ankle injury offers a chance for some of Dickerson’s lingering ailments to heal while he’s sidelined. Given the circumstances, if Dickerson were to return after the upcoming bye week—as the Eagles enter the easier stretch of their schedule—that might not be the worst thing. We’ll find out soon enough how severe his injury truly is.
### 9) The ‘Bad Weekend’ Award: Philly Fans
It’s been a tough two-day stretch for Philadelphia sports fans. The Phillies blew a 3-0 lead to the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLDS, and the Eagles blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead for their first loss of the NFL season.
### 10) The ‘Get Right’ Award: The Eagles, Maybe, Over the Next Month
Big picture: the Eagles are done with their hardest stretch of the season and stand at 4-1. If you asked an Eagles fan before the season started if they would take that record, most would say yes.
Now, the team faces the easiest part of their schedule:
– Week 6: At Giants
– Week 7: At Vikings
– Week 8: Giants
– Week 9: BYE
It remains to be seen whether they can put aside personal differences and start playing as a cohesive team again. Here’s hoping they do.
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