There's probably no better indicator of the Philadelphia Eagles' state of mind than their Tush Push attempt in the third quarter. Just a few yards short of a first down in the red zone, Philly returned to their trusty pet play to get them a fresh set of downs. A first down would have likely guaranteed points on the board for the Eagles.
Except, we saw an outcome that we almost never saw: the Tush Push was stopped. Even more incredibly, the Bears forced a Jalen Hurts fumble on the play. Nahshon Wright ripped the ball from Hurts and recovered the ball, ending the Eagles' drive in dramatic fashion.
That fumble had dramatic consequences for the game. Invigorated by the play, the Bears offense drove down the field and finished off a 12-play drive with a touchdown from Kyle Monangai. The Eagles went down 17-9 at this point in the game, and they would surrender another touchdown, this time on a Caleb Williams pass to Cole Kmet.
After the game, Hurts explained the reason for the fumble. The Eagles quarterback attributed the fumble to the officials not blowing the play dead earlier.
“I was hoping (my forward progress) was stopped, but it wasn’t,” Hurts said after the game during the post-game presser. “(The referees) just didn’t blow the whistle as soon. That’s not to point the finger at anyone else, I gotta hold onto the ball.”
The Eagles still hold an 8-4 record after the loss. However, that record fails to show just how chaotic and dysfunctional this season has been for Philadelphia. Even in their wins, the defending champions have looked awfully shaky. With the Dallas Cowboys finding their groove in the last few weeks, Philly's chokehold on the NFC East is looking a little shaky.
