The plane ride back from London must have felt too long for the Eagles after a stunning Week 5 loss that was undoubtedly Sunday’s worst.
Below, we break it down even more, including a closer look at the coaching staff’s worst moments (it might not be what you think), along with a couple of scary individual performances by the Bears and a stunning finish in Washington.
The Eagles almost had one of the better wins of the season. With Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and wideout DeVonta Smith (hamstring) inactive, facing Lane Johnson’s retirement and center Cam Jurgens traded to the Baltimore Ravens during the week, Philadelphia had every reason to fold in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Instead, it was a tough loss after kicker Jake Elliott gave the team a 17-16 lead with eighteen seconds left, when Ameer Abdullah’s 53-yard return on the ensuing kickoff allowed Cam Little to win the game with a 57-yarder at the end of regulation.
What could have been a gritty, season-changing victory ended up as a crushing, inexplicable defeat.
Worst quarterback performance: Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent
According to Sumer Sports data, only Case Keenum, who replaced Bagent in the fourth quarter of a 31-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers, produced a lower expected points added (EPA) per pass than Bagent. The Bears have given the fourth-year quarterback the tools to succeed. Entering Sunday night, Bagent had the third-lowest pressure rate (28 percent) of Week 5. His pressure-to-sack rate (28.6 percent) ranked fifth-highest, however, thanks to his handling of the ball. Bagent averaged 2.75 seconds on pressure, the fourth-longest in Week 5.
To be fair, he’s not much better at throwing. He finished 12-of-21 for 87 yards and two interceptions. According to Sumer Sports, only two-thirds of Bagent’s attempts were on target, tied for the eighth-lowest rate of the weekend. With his second turnover late in the third quarter, head coach Ben Johnson had seen enough. Although starter Caleb Williams (hamstring) remains out for Week 6, Bagent’s time as QB2 has run its course.
Worst coaching decision: Eagles coach Nick Sirianni made a mistake in the final 25 seconds against the Jaguars
While Sirianni’s decision to kick short and allow Abdullah’s return was questionable, the coverage unit wasn’t helped by allowing Abdullah to run straight through it. And kicking deep can be second-guessing too. Had Sirianni been elected for a touchback and not had any time run out on the clock, the Jaguars could have completed a pass down the sideline, gotten out of bounds and still kicked a game-winner. Sometimes, players just need to execute.
A bigger issue we have with Sirianni is his inexcusable situational awareness momentarily. The Eagles had a 1st-and-10 from the Jacksonville 34-yard line with 25 seconds left after the Jaguars called their second timeout. With three runs and/or a high percentage throw ending the field of play, Elliott’s kick would be the last play of the game. Instead, on first down, Hurts dropped back against a heavy pre-snap pressure look and was forced to throw the ball away. Rookie receiver Makai Lemon caught a pass while running a route out on the next play and tackled him out of bounds, stopping the clock again and allowing the Jaguars to call a timeout following a third-down run.
Those decisions, especially on first and second down, are more costly and indefensible than allowing the kick to be returned. Why does an Eagles wideout run vertically when the Jags blitz? Why run anything to the sideline when the moving clock is your friend? These are the questions the Eagles must ponder after Sunday’s loss. With better decision making and strategy from Sirianni in the final moments, Philadelphia won easily.
Worst game: Washington Commanders end game results in a tie
The Commanders technically tied the New York Giants, 27-27, but there was no way to view the result as anything other than a loss.
Washington was in field goal range with 55 seconds left in overtime and no timeouts, only to run out the clock on a first-down carry. Then, when Jayden Daniels received the second-down snap with 12 seconds left, he scrambled ineffectively and was carried to the line of scrimmage on the final play of the game.