The play that sealed a wild 33-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams. A 336-pound force of nature, Jordan Davis, blocked a FG, scooped the ball, and rumbled 61 YDs to the end zone. The mob of Eagles chasing him, which laid a tidal wave of relief. He didn’t try to outrun them. He simply ran to the end zone, knowing full well he’d “get moshed,” but he wasn’t.

The last-gasp miracle that’s supposed to define a team’s heart. Yet, in the rumble of the post-game locker room, wide receiver A.J. Brown wasn’t talking about miracles. He was talking about a significant crack in the foundation of a 3-0 juggernaut.

He was talking about the first half. It’s a recurring theme that’s lingered just below the surface of their perfect record. The team, now a combined 19-1 over its last 20 games (a franchise best, mind you), is also a team that seems to court chaos. And Brown pointed to the root of the issue. “Obviously, being on the same page,” he began, as if stating the most obvious truth in the world.

Los Angeles marched 10 plays over 1:45 to reach Philadelphia’s 26-yard line, setting up Joshua Karty for a potential game-winning field goal. The Rams kicker needed only to get proper elevation on his attempt. However, Eagles defender Jordan Davis recognized the low trajectory and poor blocking from center Sam Limmer. Davis burst through the line and blocked Karty’s kick with his forearm, then scooped up the loose ball and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown. The dramatic block-and-score became one of the most memorable plays in Eagles franchise history, turning a likely Rams victory into a stunning Philadelphia triumph.

AJ continued, saying that’s what it comes down to and that it “took too long to get there and to adjust—with all of us, not just players, but coaches, as well.” The first half stat sheet was screaming the same thing.

The Birds managed an 86 total yds on the ground and just 202 through the air for the whole game, while the Rams piled up 356 total net yds. An offense that looked fundamentally out of sync, relying on the opposing team’s miscues and a special teams miracle, to bail them out.

The unsettling truth for the Philly fans

How does a team with this much talent, this much swagger, fall into a 26-7 hole? The answer, according to Brown, lies in a philosophy of taking what defenses give you, when, in his eyes, they should be taking what they want. The 1st-half offense was a stark contrast to the 2nd half, where Hurts, seemingly unshackled (and held back, as noted by Sharpe), erupted for 204 passing yds and three TDs.

Hurts hit Brown for a 25-yard gain on third-and-10, then again for 23 yards on another 3rd down, the kind of aggressive plays that turn games. Carter, a force in his own right, blocked a 36-yard field goal that sparked the whole rally, and after Hurts marched them 91 yards for the go-ahead score, it set the stage for Davis’s final, unforgettable kick block and return.

They were 4 for 5 on 4th down conversions and 100% in the red zone, clutch stats that highlight their ability to flip the switch when the game is on the line. But what about when it’s not? What about when Saquon Barkley, who had shredded the Rams for 255 yds and 205 yds in their last two meetings, is held to a pedestrian 46 yds for the game and just 13 in the first half, concerning trend for Barkley?

The rub is that the first half of this game looked eerily similar to the first half of their previous two. Brown sees it. He finished with 6 catches for 109 yds, a terrific performance, but one that took a whole half to get going. “Let your killers do their thing,” he said.

So, the Eagles are 3-0. The stats are glowing, the comebacks are legendary, and the fanbase is celebrating with the kind of delirious joy that only an impossible victory can bring. But for all the confetti and the celebrations, there’s a certain fragility to this perfection. A.J. Brown, the man who wants to be a “taker,” gave his team a gift far more valuable than a TD: a warning.