"Cry Eagles Cry: Denver Stomps Philadelphia Their First Loss"

What happens when internal conflicts still linger and not addressed? This will be the story for Philadelphia, as they suffer their first loss in 2025. Having a 17-3 lead on visiting Denver, it looked to be all gravy. But... The Broncos had other plans as they rallied to score eighteen unanswered points to defeat Philly 21-17. Underlying issues spilled over into media availability afterwards. 

Philadelphia hasn't been the high potent offense since their dominating Super Bowl run in 2024. Passing game is middle of the pack, while defenses are stacking the box to stop Saquon Barkley. A few bright spots but more gloom and doom lurked. Wide receiver AJ Brown has been the subject of interest over a span of two weeks. In one play, Brown stopped running his route and Jalen Hurts missed the throw. If Brown had kept stride, that's a walk-in touchdown.

A guy who's complained about not getting targets, that's inexcusable. One catch and touchdown left on the field; with Brown looking as if he said "throw the ball in my direction." Force feeding and making bad decisions isn't Hurts' mantra for quarterback play. But now... We have another issue with wide receiver Devonta Smith. He had a solid game but let it be known the miscommunication between Hurts. 

Here's where I don't feel sorry for neither receiver: on the Hail Mary to end like it did, both Brown and Smith were vying for the pass. It was on Smith's fingers and Brown battled it down. Now, I'm not the smartest man but why Brown was playing defensive back on his teammate is beyond my imagination. IF you go back and see the final play, both appeared to want a game winning moment. It would be enough for Joe Budden to say "WHY!" 

To the Denver Broncos side of this victory: flying from the mountains to Philadelphia on a short week is always a tricky matter. A 1PM eastern time zone kickoff and some humidity as well. A slow start, but Denver tightened up in the fourth quarter. Led by second year quarterback Bo Nix, this young man is the real deal. Being able to pick apart Philly's defense without blinking says a lot about his leap year. 

A defense which I believe is best in the NFL, can get home to the quarterback. Which can travel, while sacking Hurts multiple times and asking if Philly would weather the storm. All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr was able to shadow and play tight against Devonta Smith. If there's one thing teams need for road games: good run game and solid defense. Both work hand in hand for victories and... Denver is also the streak breaker team as well. 

As Philadelphia looks to fix their offensive struggles, it starts with opening the playbook. Letting Hurts air it out and make plays with his legs when needed. The vibes are shaky and undesirable for players as everyone is looking for their fair share of plays. As I discussed last week, winning comes with sacrificing for the better of team success. Selfish players aren't always going to have things in their favor. We're seeing this in real time with AJ Brown and now Devonta Smith. 

Will the star wide receivers be too much of a distraction for an Eagles Super Bowl repeat or can they figure it out before self destruction hits like a freight train? We shall see in the coming weeks as October football is here in full swing. If not... It's going to be crash outs each week from their two star wide receivers.