The third time was not the charm for the Eagles when they visited Nashville Sunday to play the Tennessee Titans in an NFL inter-conference game.

They sorely relied on their defense to come through in the clutch in their first two wins of the season, but this time the defense failed in a 26-23 loss to the Titans in overtime. The loss puts them in a tie for second with Dallas at 2-2 in the East Division. Washington is in first at 2-1 and had a bye. The Giants are bringing up the rear at 1-3.

The game went into overtime with the score tied 20-20. The Eagles received the kickoff and made it to the Titans 19-yard-line. Instead of trying a pass over the middle for a touchdown that would’ve won the game, Carson Wentz twice threw to the corner for Alshon Jeffery hoping he’d make one of his circus catches. Both passes fell incomplete and in between was a run by Wendell Smallwood up to the 12. Jake Elliott came on to make a 37-yard field goal and it gave them a 23-20 lead with 6:19 to go in overtime.

Following the ensuing kickoff, the next six minutes were some of the worst six minutes in the history of the Eagles and their fans who watched in person, watched on television or listened on the radio. The Titans were faced with three fourth downs, a third-and-19 and a third-and-goal and each time were suceessful in completing the pass to gain the necessary yardage. On the third-and-goal, quarterback Marcus Mariota completed the game-winning touchdown pass of 10 yards with five seconds left in overtime. If the pass had been incomplete, the Titans would’ve still been able to kick a field goal that would have ended the game in a 23-23 tie.

If the Eagles could’ve kept the Titans out of the end zone, the clock would’ve run out and the Eagles would’ve won, 23-20. But neither happened. Instead what happened was unthinkable. It was unthinkable considering the Eagles went ahead 17-3 with 7:36 left in the third quarter.They did it on two touchdown passes from Wentz to Jordy Matthews and Alshon Jeffery. The first one to Matthews was beautiful. He caught it in mid stride and ran the last 40 yards to complete the 56-yard score. It was set up by a catch-and-run by Jeffery up to the 44. Jeffery caught a touchdown of his own in the third period when he outfought the Tennessee defensive back for the ball and a 16-yard score.

Things couldn’t have looked much better for the Birds at that point. They’re four regular season games from winning their first Super Bowl ever. They’re aware you don’t take your foot off the gas pedal until the game is well in hand. The game was far from being well in hand, but the Eagles did take their foot off the gas pedal anyway.

Their defense – maybe they’d heard about Mariota not being able to grip the ball – was giving up big plays to the Titans receivers constantly. Mariota finished the day 30-for-43, 344 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. This is the same quarterback who in the two games prior had only thrown for a little more than 200 yards combined and no touchdowns.

He led them on two touchdown drives – sandwiched around a field goal – for a 20-17 Titans lead with five minutes left in regulation. Elliott gave the Eagles faithful heart palpitations when he booted a 30-yard field goal to tie it with only seconds left in regulation. Then came the overtime period from hell that will be remembered for a long time.

The Titans improved to 3-1 in the AFC South and remained in a tie for first with Jacksonville.

Do things get any easier for the Eagles? Well, the Minnesota Vikings (1-2-1) come to Lincoln Financial Field Sunday for a 4:25 game. The same Vikings who were run off the field by the L.A. Rams on Thursday night, 38-31. These are the same Vikings who are lagging behind Chicago and Green Bay in the NFC North.