Monday Night Meltdown

PHILADELPHIA – Rock group Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” blared within earshot from a neighboring lot upon arrival at Lincoln Financial Field, a little over four hours until kickoff, perfectly illustrating a free-flowing, feel-good September afternoon in South Philadelphia, ahead of the Eagles’ official home opener.

But a Saquon Barkley drop in the flat on a 3rd-and-3 pass in the waning moments of the fourth quarter spoiled an easy first down – and maybe touchdown – that led to the Falcons having 99 seconds left and only a six-point deficit following Jake Elliott’s chip-shot field goal.

Turned out to be plenty of time for Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins to drive his team on a game-winning drive, punctuated by Cousins’ game-tying touchdown pass to Drake London in the right side of the end zone with 34 seconds to play, setting up Younghoe Koo’s PAT kick that propelled the Falcons to a stunning 22-21 win.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts tried to summon a last-gasp rally of his own, only to get hit as he heaved a pass for DeVonta Smith that floated and was eventually intercepted to end the Eagles’ chance at rallying.

The Eagles (1-1) had pulled ahead late in the final frame, 18-15, on the heels of a 17-play, 70-yard  that took nearly 10 minutes and was capped by a 1-yard Hurts touchdown run, followed by a Barkley plunge for the two-point conversion.

On the ensuing Falcons drive, Cousins connected with Drake London for eight on a 3rd-and-9, setting up a dramatic 4th-and-1 scenario. Falcons halfback Bijan Robinson, who averaged nearly seven yards a carry for the game, took the handoff but was met at the line of scrimmage with a hard thud from Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson for no gain, turning over the football on downs, much to the delight of a raucous South Philly crowd.

The Eagles capitalized by driving downfield, but Barkley’s third-drop drop set the stage for the shocking Falcons (1-1) comeback.

Leading the way for the Eagles defensively was safety Reed Blankenship, who totaled nine tackles, while linebacker Zack Baun logged eight. The lone sack of the evening for Philadelphia came fron defensive tackle Milton Williams.

Hurts rolled up 170 yards passing and a touchdown, completing 22 of 27 pass attempts and adding 85 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

As far as receiving, wide receiver DeVonta Smith led the Eagles in targets (9) and receptions (7) for 76 yards and a touchdown as the team dealt with the absence of star wideout A.J. Brown from a hamstring injury. Third-year wide receiver Britain Covey reeled in a career-high six receptions, but for just 23 yards.

GETTY IMAGES: The Eagles snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with an offensive and defensive meltdown in the final 99 seconds.

Let’s get to the observations:

* Hours ahead of kickoff, the Eagles did some roster tinkering due to a number shortage at multiple positions, signing veteran OL Nick Gates to the active roster and elevating WR Parris Campbell and TE E.J. Jenkins to balance out the game day roster. The Gates signing came of little surprise, as backup center qualifies as a season-long need. In a surprising move, the Eagles opted to waive EDGE Patrick Johnson to clear room. It’s my understanding that Johnson is expected to land on another team’s 53.

* The Eagles inactives included WR A.J. Brown, QB Tanner McKee (3rd QB), CB Eli Ricks, LB Devin White, OL Darian Kinnard, OL Trevor Keegan and DT Byron Young. The one mild surprise here was White given his experience and pedigree and presumed ability to contribute situationally, though the 26-year-old has never in his career played special teams and the Eagles already had five other inside linebackers active. Perhaps a storyline worth monitoring in the coming weeks.

* Pregame warmups foreshadowed early usage for seldom-used WR Britain Covey, who on the Eagles’ first offensive series aligned inside and outside and was used as a motion receiver. Covey reeled in a 5-yard reception on the opening drive.

* Prior to Monday night, it had been 20 months, or 90 weeks, or 629 days since CB Isaiah Rodgers last appeared in a regular season game. Good to see for the former Colts corner, who enjoyed a strong offseason and always expresses gratitude for his new opportunity.

* Defensively, the Eagles unveiled the same secondary configuration as the one in the opener in Sao Paolo, Brazil, with Darius Slay and rookie Quinyon Mitchell at outside corners and veteran Avonte Maddox at nickel. No surprise in keeping Mitchell entrenched in his natural position on the perimeter, though I thought rookie Cooper DeJean would work in with Maddox some to get his feet wet and get more speed on the field. Mitchell, for his part, exhibited his football intellect and instincts on a 3rd-and-4 sideline pass to Falcons WR Drake London. Mitchell read it the whole way, breaking up the pass and nearly coming up with his first career interception.

* In the absence of WR A.J. Brown, sidelined with a hamstring injury for a few weeks per Monday Night Football sideline reporter Lisa Salters, the offense received a significant boost from RB Saquon Barkley, who averaged 9.8 yards per carry through the first two drives. The big-ticket free agent signing showcased power, vision and contact balance, but also credit the Eagles’ offensive line, paving truck-sized holes for Barkley. Different story after the halftime, though, as Barkley averaged just 4.1 yards per run on 22 carries, and then the big drop.

* The passing game received some help from third-year TE Grant Calcaterra, who registered 19 yards on a pair of catches,  but got nothing from new WR Jahan Dotson, who finished with one reception for six yards.

*The Eagles on their fourth offensive possession overcame a pair of untimely red zone penalties – a delay of game on Jalen Hurts and an illegal downfield call on RT Lane Johnson – to ultimately cap the 11-play, 70-yard drive with a 7-yard Hurts touchdown pass in the middle of the end zone to Smith. The drive wasn’t without heroics from Hurts, who combined 24 yards on the ground in consecutive plays to bail the offense out on third and fourth down, respectively.

* The tackling deficiencies that surfaced last week against the Packers revealed themselves again Monday night, as Falcons RB Bijan Robinson knifed his way through the teeth of the Eagles defense with regularity. While Robinson is difficult to bring down, the Eagles appeared to take poor angles and struggled to wrap-up. It’s worth noting that last week, Eagles HC Nick Sirianni made tackling a point of emphasis during a practice. It’s a detailed matter that must get cleaned up if the defense is to elevate to a respectable level.

* All was quiet on the pass-rush front again for the Eagles, as the edge rushers generated little-to-no pressure on stationary Falcons QB Kirk Cousins. Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham swarmed on a couple occasions but couldn’t seal the deal. By and large, the group once again came up small. The veteran Graham in the first half appeared to add to his sack total, but an illegal contact call on LB Nakobe Dean negated it. I didn’t see much push at all from EDGE Bryce Huff, who signed a lucrative free-agent deal, or from 2023 first-rounder Nolan Smith. On one occasion, Falcons RB Bijan Robinson chipped Smith so hard that he knocked the Georgia product to the ground, flat on his back.

* While the Eagles’ defensive line as a collective was fairly quiet – sans a Milton Williams third-quarter sack – I thought reserve DT Thomas Booker made the most of his snaps, stopping Robinson for a 1-yard loss on a play deep into the second quarter and a 2-yard loss on a screen pass in the third quarter. Booker, who emerged from the depths of the Eagles’ roster in training camp, keeps showing up. Continues to stack hustle plays.

* The Eagles on Monday night had three illegal man downfield calls against them. And they were all legitimate. This has been an ongoing issue for some time now.

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.