It was there for the Eagles in a hard-fought Monday night game against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field, and then it wasn’t. In a furious final 5 minutes and 42 seconds, a series of huge plays defined a game that the Eagles ultimately lost, 22-21, to move to 1-1 on the season.

What happened in that final 5:42? Four plays that put the Eagles on the losing end of a game for the first time in September after winning an NFL-best seven straight.

Game 1 – 5:42 remaining, Bijan Robinson stopped on fourth-and-1

Atlanta trailed 21-18 and faced a fourth-and-1 play at the 39-yard line. Quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​​​handed the ball to running back Bijan Robinson and Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson timed the play perfectly, finding Robinson in the hole and delivering a crushing hit that stopped the powerful Robinson for the first down. Eagles ball, thinking Atlanta had only two timeouts left and time was running out.

“It’s make or break, him versus me,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Unfortunately that wasn’t the final lead to win the game, but there are other things in this game that we’re going to look at as a team and fix.”

Game 2 – 1:46 remaining, Eagles fail to convert third-and-3

Philadelphia’s offense gained two first downs, forced Atlanta to take its two remaining timeouts, and things were looking very positive for the Eagles to win this football game. But on third-and-3 from Atlanta’s 10-yard line, the rarest of rare things happened: Running back Saquon Barkley fouled out. He was executing the same play that set up a big play that had previously led to the go-ahead touchdown, when Barkley moved from left to right and ran a flat route toward the sideline to create some space, quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a perfect throw that caught Barkley’s fingertips … and fell to the ground. Incomplete pass. A completion there would have been good for a first down and, with 1:46 left in the game, a chance for the Eagles to run out the clock. Instead, Jake Elliott stepped up to shoot a 28-yard field goal and with 1:39 left, Atlanta got the ball back at its 30-yard line, trailing 21-15.

“I dropped the ball, let my team down today. Shouldn’t have put the defense in that position, made that catch and the game is over,” Barkley said.

“I can sit here and complain and be angry about it or I can be a professional athlete and go back to the drawing board and take the hit and move on and be better. I’ve made that play a few times. I’ve missed that play a few times, which means that’s the situation. It happens. It’s part of the game. I just have to get better. I let my team down, I have to stand up to it like a man. I have to own it, no matter what I do. I have to promise those guys in this locker room that I’m going to be better for them.”

Play 3 – 32 seconds remaining, Falcons score game-winning TD

It was actually a bunch of plays, but the last one was a touchdown pass from Cousins ​​in the right corner of the end zone to wide receiver Drake London on a third-and-5 play from Philadelphia’s 7-yard line to tie the game, and then Younghoe Koo fired an extra point from 48 yards — Atlanta was penalized 15 yards after the touchdown — and the Falcons had the lead.

“Very disappointed, definitely, in myself at the end of that game,” said cornerback Darius Slkay, who covered London for the touchdown. “I got hurt on that one, man. That’s my guy. That play is definitely my fault. Eyes in the backfield, just trying to do more than I should have.”

The Eagles defense couldn’t get anything going on that final drive after an otherwise bend-but-don’t-break night. To that point, the Falcons had just 315 total yards of offense, and while the Atlanta running game gained 154 yards and averaged more than 5 1/2 yards per carry, Cousins ​​didn’t find much success downfield in the passing game.

That all changed on the final ride.

Cousins ​​completed five of six passes for gains of 11, 21 and 26 yards to get into the red zone, and then a 5-yard completion moved the ball to the 7-yard line. The Eagles created no pressure on Cousins ​​throughout the game — just one sack, of tackle Milton Williams — and on that final drive, Cousins ​​had a pocket and room to throw to receivers who could work themselves into open areas.

Play 4 – 27 seconds remaining, Eagles last attempt falls short

Philadelphia had one last chance, getting the ball back on the 30-yard line with two timeouts in the pocket. Hurts completed a 13-yard pass to tight end Dallas Goedert on first down and the Eagles called one of their timeouts. On the next play, Hurts was pressured when he threw, looking for a double-covered DeVonta Smith on the left sideline. Safety Jessie Bates had over-the-top coverage on Smith and intercepted the pass out of bounds, and the game was over.

“I just try to make a play on the field,” Hurts said. “I try to make a play on the field. He made a good play. I threw it a little too far. We just have to keep preparing for those situations and putting ourselves in those positions so we can take advantage of it at the end of the game. I felt really prepared going into those moments. At that point, it just wasn’t our time that it went for us.”

When you hear players and coaches talk about a team winning or losing based on “a few plays,” this game is a prime example. At 1-1, the Eagles now go on the road to play the red-hot, 2-0 New Orleans Saints, followed by a trip to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers, another team that started 2-0.

“We shouldn’t have been in that position,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “But as a team, that’s the lesson we learned from this game that I think will help us down the road, is to know that we can get beat, especially if we don’t take advantage of our opportunities.”