‘Good For Us’

PHILADELPHIA — To quote Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts: “Certain things don’t get you until they get you.”

The sentiment, simplistic as it might be, rung true on both offense and defense Sunday afternoon in the Eagles’ 21-17 home loss to the Denver Broncos, bringing the NFC heavyweights to 4-1 on the season.

On the offensive side of things, executional lapses have been a prevailing theme that Hurts often conveys. A disjointed offense, headed by first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, has yet to establish an identity. The running game, which last season took the NFL by storm, hasn’t popped, with running back Saquon Barkley notching a season-high 17-yard run Sunday against the Broncos.

A foundational facet on offense, the sputtering rushing attack has been further compounded by an erratic passing game that can appear synchronized for a quarter or a half, then appear listless at other times.

For perspective, the offense rolled up 17 points going into the break. The passing game was crisp and efficient, Hurts delivering the ball with touch and decisiveness, while keeping the offense on schedule.

The second half, however, was eerily reminiscent of the first half in Week 3 against the Rams and the second half last week against the Bucs. Somehow, following a hot start, the offense cooled, coming up empty the remainder of the game.

Eagles DB Cooper DeJean thinks the Eagles’ first loss of the season could be a good thing.

The game plan was lopsidedly pass-centric, with Hurts dropping back 44 times. Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, underutilized through four of the five games, combined for 157 yards on 13 receptions and 18 targets. Hurts facilitated the ball to seven different pass targets. This, of course, came at the expense of the running game, with Barkley totaling just 30 yards on six carries. A.J. Dillon chipped in with two carries for 12 yards and second-year running back Will Shipley carried once for no gain.

There were penalties, some warranted, others perplexing. There was even an occurrence on the second-to-last play, when tight end Dallas Goedert attempted to fight through contact, though unable to draw an interference call. When you live life on the edge, as the Eagles have at times through the first five games, the margins for error are minute. With a team this talented, though, merely skating by is incomprehensible.

The blemishes on the defensive side were hardly as egregious, with the youth-infused unit continuously growing and answering the bell weekly. Sure, the pressure up front hasn’t yet made its presence felt, but the Eagles have standout playmakers on all three levels and a pair of rookies in linebacker Jihaad Campbell and safety Drew Mukuba, who are well ahead of schedule.

Second-year cornerback Quinyon Mitchell has become a premier talent at the position and Zack Baun is the heartbeat of the unit. This edition of coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense has largely been a bend-but-don’t-break unit, while providing stingy play in the red zone.

But even though the defense bottled up the Broncos’ offense for much of the game, holding them to three points until early in the fourth quarter, the group was hindered by self-inflicted wounds in critical moments. And because the offense was unable to supply enough to support complementary football, a gassed and overworked defense began to show signs of vulnerability.

For perspective, in the fourth quarter alone, the Broncos hung 18 unanswered points, enough to hand the Eagles their first defeat since Week 16 of last season.

“It definitely is weird,” defensive back Cooper DeJean said. “It’s been a while. I think it’s good for us. Go back to the drawing board and see what we need to clean up. We got away with a lot of things in those first four games, and we found ways to win. And today, we didn’t. And we gotta clean up those details so we can find a way to win.”

Whether a walk-off blocked field goal or a punt block returned for a touchdown, the Eagles had always found a way to piece together a win, perhaps masking some of the persistent lapses. Through five weeks, the DNA of this Eagles team leans heavily on the defensive side. On too many occasions this season, Fangio’s bunch has had to bear down and claw together some gutsy finishes, perhaps none more impressive than the 72-snap performance last Sunday amid the sweltering Tampa temperatures. Five players accounted for every snap.

But on this Sunday afternoon, the proverbial dam broke late in the game, affording the Broncos ample time to author a comeback. While the group appeared noticeably dragged down compared to earlier in the game, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix lead scoring marches of 62 and 72 yards. Even for a defense that’s mostly delivered in critical moments and contributed prominently to the 4-1 start, there are recurring miscues that hadn’t previously come back to haunt them, to which DeJean alluded.

“Just little mistakes that we were able to find our way out of in those first four games,” he explained “And today, it seemed like those little mistakes just kept piling on. We were never able to get our feet back under us and be able to put ourselves in a position to win the game.

“So, it’s very good for us that this happened and understand that you just gotta continue to get better. And as the season goes on, you gotta always get better. We’re at the fifth game in, so we gotta get going.”

As rare as a loss might be under Nick Sirianni, the Eagles’ loss can also serve as beneficial, arming the team with perspective and resolve. But if there were ever an opportune time to be handed a loss – or lesson – and need to immediately flush it, it would be this week for the Eagles, with Thursday Night Football looming.

“We gotta be able to put this one behind us and get back out there Thursday night,” DeJean said. “Divisional game, so we’re gonna have to correct the mistakes and be ready to handle a short week. And I think this team is built to handle what’s ever thrown at us. So, I have no doubt we’ll continue to get better this week and be ready to go Thursday night.”

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