Eagles Collapse in Second Half, Fall 24-20 to Rams
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Coming into this game, the expectation was that the Los Angeles Rams were likely going to take care of an injured Eagles squad. But when Philadelphia began taking care of business in the first half, and then held on to a 20-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, it seemed as if the Eagles had begun to prove themselves as a real force in the NFC.
Yet, that final-period performance by the Eagles proved why there is still work to be done.
The Eagles let the Rams slice through their defense, which had looked dominant all game up to that point, and score 14 straight points in the fourth quarter with the Eagles scoring none, leading to the 24-20 LA victory.
The Eagles started the game on fire, picking off the reigning MVP Matthew Stafford in the first defensive drive of the game. The team kept it churning from there, pushing downfield for Jake Elliott to knock down a chip-shot field goal to get them on the board. Yet, an already injured Eagles offense that was without DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Dallas Goedert, and Lane Johnson (out for personal reasons) saw Saquon Barkley exit the game after limping out of bounds. He would not return, with his hamstring being the muscle causing him pain.
The Eagles held on strong for the rest of the first quarter on the defensive side of the ball, but LA was able to knock home a field goal to even up the score at three at the end of the first.
Philadelphia stayed hot on the defensive side of the ball, holding LA to those three points for the majority of the second quarter. In keeping the Rams from scoring, the Eagles took advantage of the Rams defense, having Elliot hit a 57 yard field goal, then marching down the field once more with Jalen Hurts finding Darius Cooper in the endzone for an incredible, acrobatic catch for a touchdown. Los Angeles was able to get in the endzone toward the end of the half, with Puka Nacua getting his first score of the 2026-2027 season. With little time left in the half and searching for momentum, Hurts led the team downfield, got a huge pass inteference penalty from Trent McDuffie, and found Cooper in the endzone once more. The Eagles were in control, leading 20-10 at the half.
The offense was very quiet to start the second half for both squads, with neither team finding a score in the third quarter. However, it was the injuries to Quinyon Mitchell and Jonathan Greenard that really left a bad taste in the Eagles’ mouth. Cooper DeJean also went down, but was able to return a few plays later. Without two key contributors, the team needed to step up big in the fourth quarter to maintain their 10 point lead.
Quite the opposite occurred, however. Stafford drove his team downfield on multiple occasions in the quarter, and with costly Philadelphia penalties and miscues on the defense side, the Rams were able to fight their way back into the ballgame. Hurts had major issues with finding his receivers and making the right play, leading LA to way too many opportunites to make something happen offensively. With just under four minutes to go, Kyren Williams ran into the endzone after the team’s big drive to make it a three point game. Instead of using that little time left on the clock to gain an advantage, Philly’s next drive lasted just over a minute, punting the ball right back to the Rams with plenty of time to make a big drive happen. The Rams did just that, taking two minutes off the clock en route to another Kyren Williams rushing touchdown to take the lead.
An ugly looking final drive by Philadelphia consisting of a rough sack and ugly throws down field by Hurts led to the Rams coming out on top, 24-20.
There are many who can get critisized for how this Eagles team performed, and evaluations will have to be made in order to improve from this game. The game was in the team’s hands, but the Eagles just let it salt away. Only time will tell on how this Eagles squad will improve for the weeks ahead.
Evan Hartenstein
Evan has been a member of the Philly Sports Reports team since March 2023. He is covering the 76ers and wants to pursue a long-lasting career in Sports Journalism.
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