Good Start Goes Bad

Posted October 4th, 2026

I wrote before the Eagles-Rams game that I was going to be more focused on how they played than what the result was. After the game, I’m as confused as ever. What an absolutely strange day.

I had some old friends in town this weekend and went to eat lunch with a buddy today. Normally I’m at home by 11am and focused on football. Today I was gone from 11am until 1255pm. I waled in, turned on the TV and heard that Lane Johnson was out. WTF??? That was a sign of things to come. Saquon Barkley got hurt. So did Tank Bigsby. And Quinyon Mitchell. And Jonathan Greenard. And all of that was on top of the Eagles already being without several key players.

When talking about this game you have to grade on a curve. That’s a on of key players standing on the sideline and watching.

The Eagles were able to build a 20-10 lead and were playing like a scrappy underdog. They made key plays and did the little things needed to get that lead. They were fun to watch in the first half. Drew Mukuba had an INT. So did Cooper DeJean. Jake Elliott hit a long FG. Darius Cooper had a pair of TD catches. Britain Covey had a long punt return. The Eagles gave us hope.

The third quarter was frustrating, but both teams were scoreless and the Eagles still led 20-10.

The fourth quarter? No bueno. The Rams scored a pair of TDs and came away with a 24-20 win. The Eagles had one drive, but failed to convert on 4th & goal. Their last two drives were 7 plays for -14 yards. Ugh.

The offense struggled in a huge way. They gained 172 yards. Jalen Hurts only completed 2 passes in the second half. The team was 0 for 12 on 3rd downs and just 1 for 4 on 4th downs. The fact they scored 20 points is a minor miracle. A showing like that leaves Nick Sirianni, Sean Mannion and Jalen Hurts open to plenty of criticism. At the same time, they were missing WR1, TE1, RB1, and OT1. Missing a player or two is one thing. Missing that much firepower is tough to overcome.

Mannion had no answers. Hurts couldn’t make plays and put the team on his back. The OL couldn’t take the game over. No skill player stepped up with an insane performance. Cooper’s TDs were impressive, but he finished the game just 3-33-2.

The defense was great for part of the game, but wore down since the offense couldn’t stay on the field. Losing the best cover guy and pass rusher really hurt them in the fourth quarter. Matt Stafford had time to throw and his WRs started getting open.

A lot of people are upset with Sirianni over some of his game management decisions. I’m okay with him being too aggressive. It felt like that was a bit of an over-correction for him not going for it on Monday night. My only complaint was the Tush Push when it was 4th & a long one. That play is usually god for one yard, but you sure can’t count on anything more than that.

I do give Sirianni credit for having the team focused and ready to play. The Eagles felt different than the previous three weeks. I think they can build off that, assuming they get some of the missing players back. The Birds go to London to the on a tough Jags team next Sunday. That won’t be easy.

I don’t know how to feel about the Eagles right now. I was impressed with the first half. I was depressed by the fourth quarter. And I’m definitely concerned by all the injuries. While I’m not confident in them, I don’t want to dismiss the positive signs from the Rams game. The safeties played well. The pass rush was good at times. The STs gave the team a big boost. Rookie Markell Bell did some good things in his first NFL start.

But the offense…yikes. Regardless of who is out, the offense must handle the blitz better. That is on the OL, Hurts, the skill players and the coaches. Everyone owns some of the blame for those struggles. Teams will continue to attack until the Eagles show they can block it and/or burn it.

There is going to be some hyperbolic criticism this week. Sirianni can’t coach. Howie is overrated. The assistants aren’t good enough. The roster lacks talent. And on and on. It is fair to be critical of anyone involved with the team based on what we’ve seen through four weeks, but we are seeing the team at their floor, nowhere close to their ceiling. They should improve as guys get healthy and as the coaches have time to come up with solutions to problems. If the team ends up having a disastrous season, that changes things. I just don’t see that happening. I still like this group’s potential.

https://igglesblitz.com/2026/10/good-start-goes-bad/

The fact is that they built a 20-10 lead with all those injuries.......but in the 2nd half, they were outcoached, with the rams making the needed adjustments, and Mannion/Sirianni didn't know how to re-adjust. The fact that the rams blitzed over and over and NOTHING on offense changed to counter it, proves that Mannion is overmatched.

I've been saying that we all need to have patience, but we're seeing the offense go from bad to worse. 3-27 3rd & 4th down efficiency in last 2 games?? That's huge indication that you're getting severely outcoached among other indicators.

For all the player talk and the suggestion that Mannion was a smart guy on the rise, it's clear that he wasn't ready to become an OC. The eagles did it again with a first year, learn on the job OC. Play design and creativity are great qualities to have, but if that scheme cannot adjust to in game situations, it's just a fancy practice scheme.

And Sirianni can't seem to think past his nose.....He knows the offensive line is having trouble getting push and they haven't converted any 3rd or 4th down plays, but at the end of the 3rd quarter, he puts his defense in a short field position with a failed tush push. Jurgens and Kendall are not Kelce and Dickerson..... it's not working anywhere like it used to.

And the 4th down inside the 5......again, he knows how they've been struggling but he goes for it again, gets stop and the rams get juiced.......kick the field goal there. Being aggressive is great when you have the horses.......Sirianni deflated the team with his bad judgement.

The offense is working against the limitations of the coaches. I don't think this can get fixed because Sirianni and Mannion don't know what to do. They're one great drive away from being 1-3 and fading. The Jags might really embarrass them this coming week.