PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — They looked around searching for an answer. Wanting an answer. There was none. In a wink, the Eagles and Carson Wentz went from the heights of victory on the tips of their fingers, having a tipped pass drop them to the depths after a failed two-point conversion with :04 left that spelled a 27-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The Eagles fell to 5-9, losing for the fifth-straight time and for the seventh time in their last eight games.

It all came down to Doug Pederson going for the win, instead of settling to go into overtime.

"Everyone is dejected, everybody is disappointed obviously in not being able to finish on the winning side of these games," Pederson said. "That's been the feeling the last couple of weeks. It's a tough locker room. They're hanging in there and battling. I had my mind made up if we got a chance we would go on and win it.

"We were confident [in the play to quick slant to Jordan Matthews]. I wanted to win the football game. Even our chances in overtime were less than 50-percent of winning the game. We knew and anticipated zero coverage in the blitz and it was one-on-one with Carson and Jordan. The ball just tipped at the line of scrimmage. It was one of our staple plays we run against the coverage."

It was typical.

The whole game, everything good the Eagles did was followed by something bad.

Just before halftime, the omens were there. The arc of the ball suggested something bad was on the verge of happening. And within seconds, it did, when Joe Flacco connected with Steve Smith for a 34-yard touchdown pass with just :09 left in the first half. Apparently, no one told Jalen Mills the mantra that every football player heard since they first put on pads—don't let anyone behind you.

It's been that way all season. Why would the Eagles change their crippling tendencies now?

The Eagles tried and made it look good. The effort was strong. Wentz looked decent, completing 22-of-42 for 170, rushing for one TD and throwing an interception on the third play of the game.

Running behind a makeshift offensive line, Ryan Mathews managed to twist and turn for a season-best 128 yards rushing on 20 carries. Then that was it. His last carry came with 5:46 remaining.

With one timeout and 1:39 to play, and the ball on the Eagles' 41, Wentz led the Eagles down the field. But again, the Eagles failed to close.

Throughout parts of the game, the Eagles of September showed up. Pederson was back to his swashbuckling best, going for two-point conversions and fourth-down conversions. The Eagles were sustaining long drives, one which went a season-high 17 plays. Zach Ertz came up with a key block that freed up Bryce Treggs for a first down in the third quarter. Defensive end Vinny Curry was getting penetration and making plays. And above everything else, the offensive line was getting a great push, drilling holes through the NFL's best defense against the rush.

But something was always there, lingering, waiting to blow it up.

The Eagles' 17-play drive was answered by the Flacco-to-Smith TD pass. The Ertz block was wasted on one of Caleb Sturgis' four field goals. The Wentz scramble for what appeared to be the tying touchdown came attached to a rushed attempt to go for two points.

Pederson has had a propensity to veer away with what works.

Down two scores, with 7:43 to play, Pederson opted to go for it on fourth-and-two at the Ravens' 34. They ran an end-around to receiver Nelson Agholor, who being, well, Agholor, something confounding was going to happen. He took an outside route, instead of using an Ertz block and take an inside lane, which may have led to a first down.

Instead, Agholor stepped out of bounds a yard short. The change of possession gave Baltimore a chance to whittle more precious time off the clock.

Why the Eagles didn't run Mathews and right at the Ravens is baffling. And possibly why the Eagles aren't playing meaningful games.