The Philadelphia Eagles saw their undefeated season come to an end on Monday, losing to the Washington Commanders, 32-21. Once again, the 1972 Dolphins are celebrating as they remain the only perfect team in NFL history (in the Super Bowl era, that is). How did Philadelphia lose their first game of the season? For one, taking care of the ball was a problem for the Eagles. They fumbled the ball three times, while Jalen Hurts threw a pick. Such lackadaisical care of the ball will cost them in the playoffs, similar to what the 2020 Steelers experienced.
Another problem was failing to cover Terry McLaurin. McLaurin is Washington's top receiver, which is akin to not covering Cooper Kupp. Imagine what would happen if the Eagles left Justin Jefferson or Deebo Samuel open in the playoffs. It would be utter anarchy.
Getting out to an early lead also helped the Commanders. Couple that with controlling the time of possession battle (40:24 to Philadelphia's 19.36) and you have a winning formula for beating the Eagles.
Fortunately, Philadelphia added Ndamukong Suh to their defensive line, bolstering its depth. Linval Joseph was also added to bolster the run defense, combatting anything the San Francisco 49ers throw at them. Who knows if these will remedy Philadelphia's problems? However, it seems the Eagles are learning from the mistakes of the 2020 Steelers.
If the Eagles want to build on their 8-0 start, they must start by cracking down on the mistakes. Giving opposing teams an opportunity to answer will hurt their Super Bowl chances. That also goes with controlling the game's tempo. Having a team like Washington double you up on time of possession is not the answer. If Philadelphia figures these things out, they'll be rolling into Glendale in February without any problems.
