October 04, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. (3) sacks Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field.
How many times has an NFL team not converted a third down and won?
It doesn't happen often.
But welcome to the 2026 Eagles – a version not that all different from the past few years – who almost pulled it off before blowing a 10-point lead at the Linc on Sunday in a 24-20 loss to the Rams.
The Eagles were threatening to become the first team in NFL history to win a game despite failing to convert at least one of 12 third-down attempts before predictably imploding in the fourth as the their injury situation became untenable.
Had the Eagles been able to punch in a touchdown at the LA 6 with 8:57 to play, they would've have won the game. But they were stopped on three straight tries, including a bold 4th-and-2 pass, and then watched the Rams score go on two TD drives to win.
As we do every week, we hand out our grades for the Eagles:
The Eagles were already undermanned without DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and key reserve Hollywood Brown, then downgraded Lane Johnson to out hours before the game because of personal reasons and during the game lost Saquon Barkley in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, and he didn't return. Needless to say, the odds were stacked against them, although the Rams were without Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald.
Rush offense
Well, let's grade on a curve here since the Eagles were so short-handed. There's no polishing a run game that averaged 3.9 per run, only thanks to a better fourth quarter. Tank Bigsby had a TD run negated by a holding on Johnny Mundt that put the Birds in a bad 1st-and-20 and they eventually settled for a field goal. They also had a failed Tush Push in the third and late in the fourth, trying to get in from inside the LA 5, they were barricaded.
Expecting anything more from this run game without Barkley and with two backup offensive linemen – including a rookie making his first start – would be ridiculous.
Pass offense
It wasn't always pretty – hence the third-down note – and one of Jalen Hurts' two TD passes was actually an awful throw that was fortunate not get picked off in the end zone but somehow plucked off Quentin Lake's fingertips by Darius Cooper. So there's that. Otherwise, nothing much to get excited about here except that Hurts didn't throw an interception, and by doing that, the Eagles won the turnover battle, a huge reason for why they even had a chance to win the game.
The Eagles were without safety Marcus Epps going into the game and lost Quinyon Mitchell and Jonathan Greenard during the game to injuries. Both were playing well before exiting, and it helped the implosion For three quarters, it looked as if the defense would be the reason the Eagles somehow crawled to the finish line with an upset. Then came the fourth quarter, and ...
Rush defense
The Eagles allowed one explosive run – a 23-yarder by Kyren Williams – but otherwise held Williams and Blake Corum in check. The Rams' ground game – which is their bread and better – didn't have any other runs longer than six yards in the first half. Moro Ojomo came up with huge 3rd-and-1 stuff in the second quarter that led to a Rams punt.
Pass defense
It's amazing what some takeaways can do. The Eagles had zero going into the game and got two in the first half that led to 10 points. Andrew Mukuba's interception – thanks to Greenard edge pressure – at midfield on the Rams' opening drive led to an Eagles field goal and Cooper DeJean's pick near the end of the first half led to Cooper's second TD catch. The Eagles don't win this game without them.
The Rams went right after Jonathan Jones after Mitchell got hurt on the opening drive of the second quarter. Stafford tested him deep to Davante Adams and had him on 3rd-and-5 but overthrew it by a tad and the Rams had to punt. Stafford snapped out of his rut in the fourth and got heated up with Puka Nacua, who was quiet almost all game.
Britain Covey changed the momentum of the game with his zag-zagging 42-yard punt return in the second quarter down to the Los Angeles 17, which became huge when Hurts hit Cooper two snaps later for the 18-yard TD and 13-3 lead. Jake Elliott connected on a huge 56-yarder. This was the healthiest, and most functional, part of the team this afternoon.
Look, what are you expecting from a first-year offensive coordinator trying to coach with basically both hands tied around his back? Compensating for all the injury losses was an impossible mission. Vic Fangio's defense played much better but when it most needed a stop, in the fourth quarter, once again Fangio and the defense didn't have an answer.
Nick Sirianni's bold decision to go for it on 4th-and-goal at the LA 2 in the fourth was a good decision that just didn't work. The Eagles were up 20-10. Going up a full TD there would've put the game away. A field goal is still a two-possession game. Good for him. The Rams validated it by twice going down the field and scoring TDs in the final four minutes of the fourth.
Sirianni and GM Howie Roseman were awfully lucky that Jordan Mailata and Markell Bell didn't get hurt. They decided for the second straight game to not elevate an OT from the practice squad with Fred Johnson on the shelf. Lane Johnson being inactive left them with only Mailata and Bell as OTs and no backup.
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