The reigning Super Bowl champions have fallen. The Philadelphia Eagles were handed their first loss of the 2025 NFL season by Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos after Sean Payton‘s troops rallied from behind to seal a 21-17 victory in front of the Birds’ stronghold at Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia have dropped their first game of the 2025 NFL season, losing to the BroncosGettyDespite having taken command of the game, leading 17-3 entering the fourth quarter, second-year quarterback Nix spearheaded his team to 18 unanswered points in the fourth – completing 24-of-39 of his passes for 242 passing yards and a touchdown – to send Jalen Hurts and the Eagles to 4-1 on the season. A.J. Brown hits out against HurtsBut there is one particular play that has stolen the headlines for the Eagles.Late in the third quarter, wide receiver A.J. Brown appeared to give up on a clear touchdown after beating his only company in Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga.Hurts initially looked to have overthrown to his target, but had Brown not slowed up, then it is more than possible that it would have been a huge gain and more. After the game, Brown, who was seen reading a book on the sidelines during last year’s playoffs, was asked about the play that could have secured victory.“From my point of view, we just missed,” Brown admitted.“It’s not that I didn’t think the ball was coming. When I looked up, I didn’t see the ball, and when I looked back, I didn’t see the ball. Then the ball was thrown. Like I said, we just missed.”Brown went on to admit that he didn’t speak with Hurts about the miscommunication on that particular play, but the Eagles quarterback was asked about it in his postgame press conference. “I’ll have to really watch the film to be able to assess that,” Hurts said. “Obviously, that’s one that you want to hit in a big moment of the game.”It’s not always sunny in PhiladelphiaDespite having two elite wide receivers in Brown and DeVonta Smith, Nick Sirianni’s team has often favored the run game to begin the 2025 season, with the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley at the helm.View Tweet: https://t.co/p3QzYhELQbBrown has just 194 yards and one TD through five games this seasonGettyA.J. Brown has been left disgruntled after barely seeing the ball this seasonGettyWith such a run-heavy gameplan, there appears to be some frustration from the receiving corps, with Brown and Smith entering the Week 5 home clash against the Broncos having mustered 151 and 158 receiving yards, respectively, and two touchdowns combined. Barkley, on the other hand, entered Week 5 having racked up 237 rushing yards, 70 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Having seen limited targets from their quarterback so far throughout the campaign, rumors began to circulate suggesting that either one or both of Brown and Smith could even be moved on before the trade deadline, with the former’s relationship with Hurts reportedly not as close as has been the case in previous years. This alleged fractured relationship appears to be showing on the field, and former Alabama wideout Smith made his feelings known after the game, stating to reporters that he feels the offense is “not on the same page.”Smith and Brown have barely been involved in the Eagles’ offensive scheme this season, with the Birds’ gameplan very run-heavyGettyBarkley and Hurts have instead been spearheading a run-heavy Eagles offense in 2025Getty“We made improvements in certain areas,” Smith said. “We can still be a lot better, we shot ourselves in the foot a lot. “We left a couple of plays out there where we weren’t on the same page, but ultimately we’ve got to get on the same page and continue to be on the same page.“It’s just the flow of the game, within a play there is a lot on guys’ minds, certain routes… Jalen has a lot on his mind and he’s trying to work through the protection and things like that.“There’s times where we look at him and he may give the signal before or after we look but ultimately we have to be on the same page and see the signal no matter what.”With the Broncos stopping the Eagles’ rushing attack and Barkley only able to muster 30 yards from six carries, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo had no choice but to trust Hurts to move the ball down the field with his arm.Smith led all receivers with 114 yards – almost matching his season total from the previous four outings – from a mere eight receptions, averaging 14.2 yards per reception, while Barkley had 58 receiving yards and a touchdown from three receptions, averaging 19.3 yards per reception. Brown, on the other hand, had five receptions for 43 yards. The Eagles offense has looked heavily disjointed to start the 2025 season, and if they are to reach back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, then they will need to do everything in their power to “get back on the same page,” or they risk their season falling apart.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more.