The Bombers struggled to hit targets all night against the Eagles and trailed by 52 points early in the third quarter before rallying with five late goals.
But the late surge failed to placate Knights, who was frustrated by his side's inconsistent form.
"It was a very disappointing night for the football club tonight, because we'd won our first game of the year and come into tonight with good momentum, but some of the football we played was appalling," he said.
"The Eagles were a lot cleaner than we were; we fumbled a lot. Also, our disposal by foot was atrocious. I think we were running at about 35 per cent there at different stages.
"If you're not taking the ball cleanly and also turning it over when you get it, it's a recipe for disaster.
"To be blunt with you, I wasn't even that impressed with the fact we scored goals late. You’ve got to perform at your best when the game’s there to be won early and we didn’t do that."
Knights refused to write the loss off as "one of those nights" and he was equally dismissive of suggestions that youthful inexperience had played a role.
"I'm certainly past it and I would hope the players are past it. That's what they've spoken about pre-season. Age is irrelevant and it's about winning football games now," he said.
Rather, the Essendon coach said he would continue to make changes to the side until he found a combination that could withstand the pressure of senior football.
"Every week, you come up against a side that's out there gunning and they've got a good group of players ready to go and you back your group in to do the same," he said.
"It's a pressure environment and if you can't operate in a pressure environment at a high level, you're not going to win consistently. That's what we've got to get these players to do on the Essendon list."
Meanwhile, Knights was confident Kyle Reimers' ankle injury was a minor sprain but he will be assessed early next week.
