On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles were seemingly en route to improving to 2-0 with a win over the Atlanta Falcons at the Lincoln Financial Field. They led 21-15 with only 1:39 left on the clock and needed one stop against an offense that struggled all night to move the ball downfield.
However, veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins went 4-of-5 for 64 yards before finding Drake London in the endzone with a seven-yard pass to level the scores. Kicker Younghoe Koo split the uprights on the extra-point attempt to give the Falcons a shock lead with 34 seconds left on the clock.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts had enough time to rescue the game for the Eagles. He started well with a 13-yard completion to Dallas Goedert and needed about 20 yards to get within kicker Will Shipley's field goal range.
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But disaster struck as his pass intended for wide receiver DeVonta Smith was picked off by safety Jessie Bates III, ending the Eagles' hopes of a win.
Fans were incensed about Philadelphia's performance and expressed their frustration on social media:
Fans also flamed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for his scheme on the Falcons' game-winning drive:
"Vic Fangio’s defense scheme on that last drive was shameful stuff. Awful loss," one fan said.
"Fangio should be absolutely EMBARRASSED, he got pantsed by a dude who threw 125 yards all game before that drive," another fan said.
"Fangio & that defense allowed the Falcons to march down the field with little resistance," one fan added.
Eagles' aggressive playcalling costs win vs. Falcons
The Eagles have been notoriously aggressive with their playcalling under head coach Nick Sirianni. While it usually works out well for them, it backfired on Monday night against the Falcons.
In the first quarter, the Eagles faced a 4th-and-4 from the nine-yard line and could've settled for an easy field goal try to take the lead. Instead, they went for it and Hurts couldn't connect with Goedert, ending their drive unceremoniously.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were in field goal range and needed a first down to ice the game. Philadelphia gained seven yards on their first two plays and were expected to run the ball on 3rd-and-3 with Saquon Barkley.
The running back would've either gotten the first down and ended the game or he would've been stopped short and the Eagles could've burned 40 seconds off the clock, kicked the field goal and left the Falcons with under a minute to get a game-winning touchdown.
However, they astonishingly opted for a pass play, which didn't work out as intended as Barkley dropped the pass, forcing them to kick a field goal.
The 40 seconds that the Eagles did not burn proved critical as the Falcons snapped the ball for the game-winning touchdown with 38 seconds left on the clock.
Two risky play calls did not go Philadelphia's way that ultimately cost them the game.
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