After four consecutive victories to start the season, the Philadelphia Eagles suffered their first loss, falling 21-17 to the Denver Broncos at Lincoln Financial Field. The defeat ended a streak of 12 straight home wins for the Eagles dating back to September 2024.
The team had built a comfortable lead through three quarters but allowed 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Looking ahead, the Eagles will face the New York Giants on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.
“It can go one of two ways,” running back A.J. Dillon said. “That’s how you handle it. For me, I’m going to look at how I can be better, what I can do to help the team get back on track. I think that’s what you will see from this team.”
Cornerback Cooper DeJean commented on the upcoming division game: “It’s a division game ahead of us and we know how important those games are. Things didn’t go our way today and that’s disappointing, but we know it’s a long season and we need to work on getting better and better. Today, though, it hurts. We didn’t finish the game the way we needed to finish.”
Offensively, coordinator Kevin Patullo challenged Denver’s secondary with deep passes that produced mixed results. Quarterback Jalen Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith for 52 yards in the second quarter and drew a pass-interference penalty targeting A.J. Brown. However, several drives stalled due to missed opportunities and penalties.
“It’s frustrating, but we’re going to keep working on it and building on the things we did well,” Smith said after recording eight receptions for 114 yards.
The Eagles’ running game was limited by Denver’s defense, managing only 45 yards on 11 carries. Saquon Barkley led with six carries for 30 yards but left guard Landon Dickerson exited early due to an ankle injury.
Brown noted after the game that offensive inconsistency put extra pressure on the defense. While Philadelphia’s defense contained Denver through three quarters, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix led a comeback in the final period as Denver converted key third downs and controlled possession for over 34 minutes.
The Eagles struggled offensively on third downs (2-of-11) and committed nine penalties for 55 yards—many at crucial moments—which head coach Nick Sirianni indicated would be addressed during preparations for their next matchup.
Barkley also contributed three catches for 58 yards including a notable 47-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter.
As they prepare for Thursday’s nationally televised division game against New York, players emphasized improving attention to detail and learning from this loss.
