Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was missing from the team's first defensive series against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, and his absence reportedly was for disciplinary reasons.

Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Carter wasn't permitted to start Monday's game after being late for a team-related event last week.

McLane noted that Carter was inserted on Philadelphia's second defensive series and played 46 of the team's 61 defensive snaps in the game, the highest total among Eagles defensive tackles. However, he didn't make much of an impact, finishing with just one assisted tackle as Philadelphia went on to suffer a 22-21 loss.

The Eagles selected Carter with the No. 9 pick in the 2023 draft. He appeared in 16 games as a rookie and recorded 33 total tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He was expected to be a key contributor this year on a revamped Philadelphia defensive line that lost defensive tackle Fletcher Cox to retirement and edge rusher Haason Reddick after trading him to the New York Jets.

However, the Eagles have struggled to stop the ball through the first two weeks of the season. Philadelphia ranks 30th in the NFL with an average of 399.5 yards allowed per game.

The Eagles are hoping to return to title contention this year following their disappointing finish to the 2023 season, so they need to address their defensive woes sooner rather than later if they want to keep pace in the competitive NFC.

Philadelphia will try to bounce back in Week 3, but it won't be an easy task against a New Orleans Saints team that leads the league with 45.5 points per game.