Heâs usually pretty sure handed. He went horizontal to pick off Patrick Mahomes in last yearâs Super Bowl. Thatâs why Sundayâs drop was so frustrating if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan. It would have surely been the turning point in a second half that was right there for the taking. Philadelphia had Dallas staggered after a defensive stand, then Dak Prescott threw an ill-advised pass that linebacker Zach Baun had a bead on but then inexplicably flat out dropped. It was a would-be interception that hit him in a very bad place – his hands. You could hear a collective exhale from the fans at Jerry World. Prescott made Baun and his teammates pay for it because on the very next play he hit Cee Dee Lamb on a go route for a 48 yard gain and one play after that he hit Brevyn Spann-Ford for a touchdown and just like that the Eaglesâ lead shrank to 21 to 14. Everything after that was a slow motion unraveling of mistakes that handed momentum, field position, and eventually the win to Dallas.
This was death by what seemed like a thousand unforced errors. Penalties erased big plays. Turnovers crushed possessions. A catastrophic late sack killed the Birdsâ final push. Every time the Eagles tried to seize control, they handed the opportunity back.
âWe beat ourselves. That is the truth,â guard Landon Dickerson said afterward. âWe gave them second chances all night. You cannot spot a good team free drives.â
Jalen Hurts echoed the same frustration.
âWe kept putting ourselves behind the chains,â Hurts said. âWe had plays. We had chances. We did not finish. That is on me. That is on all of us.â
Below is the exact parade of 2nd half mistakes that fueled the collapse.
Mistake One: Illegal Formation Wipes Out a Drive
14:13, third quarter
The Birds got the ball to open the second half and seemed to be putting together a nice opening drive when Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for a 20 yard catch that would have put the Eagles across midfield. But the zebras flagged the offense for illegal formation. Two incompletions later and the Birds were forced to punt. Goedert did not mince words.
âThat is basics. That is stuff we drill every day,â he said. âIt cannot keep happening.â
Mistake Two: Offensive Pass Interference Erases Momentum
15:00, fourth quarter
Goedert caught another short pass for eight yards to the Dallas thirty five but the officials called DeVonta Smith for offensive pass interference. Ten yard penalty. No play.
Smith owned it.
âI was trying to get separation for the route,â he said. âI have to be cleaner. That one is on me.â
Mistake Three: AJ Brown False Start
14:41, fourth quarter
The next play after Smithâs penalty, A.J. Brown got flagged for illegal procedure pushing the Birds back to the Dallas 42 where they faced a first and 25, an enormous task for a team that leads the league in three-and-outs.
Mistake Four: Elliott Misses Wide Right
The Birds got 20 of it back but then Jake Elliott pushed a 56-yard field goal attempt wide right so instead of extending their lead to 24-14, it remained a one score game at 21-14.Â
âYou cannot lose focus,â Brown said. âEvery yard matters in games like this.â
Mistake Five: Illegal Use of Hands Erases a Chunk Gain
8:08, fourth quarter
Hurts dropped a perfect deep ball on Smith for sixteen yards to the Dallas twelve but the stripes flagged Fred Johnson for illegal use of hands. Ten yard penalty. No play.
Johnson apologized publicly.
âOne mistake is bad enough,â he said. âWe had too many.â
Mistake Five: Saquon Barkley Fumble
7:38, fourth quarter
Hurts hit Saquon Barkley in the flat. He turned to cut upfield but Cowboys defender Sam Williams punched the ball out. Dallas recovered at the thirty three.
Barkley took responsibility.
âI have to protect the ball. Simple as that,â Barkley said. âThey made a play. I did not.â
Mistake Six: Xavier Gipson Makes Bad Decision Then Fumbles Punt Return
5:25, fourth quarter
Xavier Gipson decided to catch a punt at the one yard line then in his attempt to return it he got popped at the seven by Alijah Clark. Dallas recovered at the eight. Gipson was injured on the play.
Safety Reed Blankenship defended him.
âHe plays hard. He is trying to make a spark,â Blankenship said. âThis whole thing was not on one guy. It was all of us.â
Mistake Seven: The Back Breaking Sack
2:00, fourth quarter
Third and two at the thirty seven. A manageable down. Hurts drifted backwards but couldn’t find an open receiver and got swallowed up by the Cowboys pass rush for a loss of thirteen.
Mistake Eight: Punt Penalty Gives Dallas Better Field Position
1:52, fourth quarter
Braden Mann launched a 76 yard punt that would have flipped the field but the officials flagged Kelee Ringo for running out of bounds. It would have been a touchback instead the play was nullified. The do-over was only a 49 yard punt and resulted in much better field position for the Boys for their final fatal drive due to another self-inflicted special teams error.
âWe had momentum from that punt,â linebacker Nicholas Morrow said. âThen it comes back. That is a killer.â
The Birds Beat Themselves
The Cowboys made plays some huge plays and deserve credit. They get paid too. It happens. But Philly supplied the rest. Every big moment was followed by a mistake. Every opportunity to pull away turned into self sabotage. Lost yardage, lost footballs, lost composure all led to a lost opportunity. The Birds blew a 21 point lead. They blew a 14 point fourth quarter lead to the Broncos back in early October. Thatâs unacceptable for a team with championship aspirations. But high wire acts usually end up in chalk outlines. Thatâs what this season has been so far – a high wire act.Â
Hurts summed it up what we all knew already.
âWe have to respond. We have to grow from this,â he said. âThis is on us.â
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