3 Eagles to Blame For the Disappointing Week 2 Loss to Falcons

The Philadelphia Eagles blew a disappointing lead to the Falcons on Monday Night Football to allow Atlanta to escape with a 22-21 win. Saquon Barkley's huge dropped pass with less than two minutes to go in the game gave the Falcons a chance to score on the other end. The Eagles' defense failed to put any pressure on Kirk Cousins on that winning drive.

Head coach Nick Sirianni will regret letting this one slip through his hands. Mistakes in the fourth quarter and overall poor individual performances cost Philadelphia the game, even though Jalen Hurts certainly played well enough to win even without his star receiver AJ Brown.

Let's take a look at the three most disappointing performers from the stunning loss.

S C.J. Gardner-Johnson

When CJ Gardner-Johnson returned to the Eagles this offseason after a year with the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia fans were thrilled. Their secondary was an absolute disaster in the second half of the 2023 season, so a veteran defender who knows the team was a welcome addition.

Things haven't gone according to the plan so far for CJGJ this season. In the Week 1 win against the Packers, the 26-year-old defender had three missed tackles, finishing the game with a 50.8 PFF grade.

He picked up where he left off against the Falcons. In the third quarter, Gardner-Johnson missed a crucial tackle on Darnell Mooney in the touchdown play. First, he read the play wrong, let the receiver sprint past him, and then completely missed the tackle due to poor technique.

Gardner-Johnson somewhat redeemed himself later in the fourth quarter with a crucial hit on Bijan Robinson's rushing attempt. However, he needs to increase his overall performance for the Eagles to feel good about their defensive backfield going forward.