PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Eagles had a chance to win the game on its final play, but DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown looked to defend each other on a last-second heave to the end zone that both went up for. The pass bounced off of Smith’s outstretched hands.
When it fell incomplete, the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles were no more, and are now 4-1 on the season after losing 21-17 to the Denver Broncos at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday.
The sting of the loss is sure to heap more questions upon Head Coach Nick Sirianni, whose team blew a 17-3 lead they had starting the fourth quarter, and Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo, whose offense, while showing some promise during parts of the game, still lacked consistency to close it out.
The Eagles were also plagued by some costly penalties. The Broncos did accrue more over the course of the game, but the Eagles’ flags reversed key plays like a long Smith grab in the fourth as the Eagles looked to re-take the lead, and a late hit by middle linebacker Zack Baun in the fourth that set up the Broncos’ tying touchdown and go-ahead two-point conversion.
The game started relatively even, as the Broncos and Eagles traded first quarter field goals, but then the Eagles defense took over. They held the Broncos scoreless through the second and third quarters, stopping most of their drives in just three plays, as Jalen Hurts and the offense put two touchdowns on the board. The first came in the second after a long connection with Smith led to a short touchdown throw from Hurts to tight end Dallas Goeddert, making it 10-3. The Birds took that lead into halftime.
The second touchdown came on the Eagles’ first drive of the second half, as Hurts connected with Saquon Barkley running a wheel route past a covering linebacker to scamper into the endzone on a 47-yard play, to make the game 17-3.
But following that second-half opening touchdown, the Eagles’ offense sputtered through a combination of negative yard plays and penalties. The Broncos on the other hand, finally found their footing against Vic Fangio’s defense, putting two quick touchdowns on the board in the fourth quarter. Head Coach Sean Payton went for two after the second touchdown to make it 18-17 Broncos in front of a stunned Lincoln Financial Field.
When the Eagles got the ball back, Hurts hooked up again with Smith on a fourth-down long pass to put the Eagles in scoring position, but an illegal formation penalty negated the play. The Eagles punted, and the Broncos marched downfield again for a field goal to make it 21-17.
The final drive by the Eagles showed some hope for a last-second miracle, but it was not to be.
The Eagles’ next game is Thursday night against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.