Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles were stunned on Monday Night Football, allowing the Seattle Seahawks to mount a late game-winning drive en route to a 20-17 loss.
The Eagles fell to 10-4 after their third straight defeat, and the team's goal of winning the NFC took a massive blow in the process. A clearly ill Hurts, who seemed despondent afterwards, made concerning comments after the ugly loss.
“I’ve been talking about execution all year,” the star signal-caller explained in his post-game press conference. “Being on the same page, everyone being on the same page. We didn’t execute. I don’t think we’re, we’re all, we’re committed enough. Just got to turn it around. You know, it’s a challenge that we have to embrace. Just continue to see it through. It starts with me.”
A lack of commitment is certainly not what Eagles fans want to hear with just three weeks left in the regular season.
Still, Hurts played well on the ground on Monday night, running for 82 yards and two rushing touchdowns. But he struggled through the air, finishing 17-for-31, including two key interceptions late in the contest.
The 25-year-old was clearly playing through the illness and not at 100 percent, although his ability to play at all was impressive. His “tush push” QB sneak touchdown worked again on Monday, his 17th of the last two seasons (including playoffs). No other QB has scored more than three, according to ESPN's Tim McManus.
Defense a huge problem for Eagles
The defensive side of the ball has been one of the main problems over the last three weeks, but there is a silver lining.
“The defense had yielded 30-plus points in each of the Eagles' past three games and entered ranked last in the league on third down and 30th in red zone defense,” wrote McManus and Brady Henderson late on Monday night when looking at a promising trend for the rest of the year.
“There was marked improvement Monday. Seattle was limited to just 90 yards and three points before halftime, allowing Philadelphia to lead going into the third quarter for the first time in seven games. A struggling secondary appeared to challenge receivers more than in recent weeks, making throws more difficult for Lock.”
Still, the Eagles were unable to secure the victory despite leading 17-10 in the fourth quarter, and the hard questions must be starting to be asked in Pennsylvania.
Jalen Hurts' team will play the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Giants again before the postseason, and will likely face a much tougher opponent once that time comes.
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