The Philadelphia Eagles suffered their third straight loss on Monday night, falling to the Seattle Seahawks 23-17. Quarterback Jalen Hurts put the blame squarely on himself after the defeat.
Offensive Struggles Continue
The Eagles offense could not get anything going in the first half, punting on their first five drives. They went into halftime trailing 10-0. Things improved slightly in the second half, but ultimately the offense did not do enough.
Hurts took responsibility for the unit’s struggles after the game:
“It starts with me. I will be better.”
Several of his teammates disagreed with that assessment. Center Jason Kelce said:
“I don’t think it’s on any one person…We’ve just been too inconsistent across the board.”
| Stat | Eagles Offense |
|---|---|
| Total Yards | 364 |
| Rushing Yards | 120 |
| Turnovers | 2 |
The Eagles were unable to establish a consistent rushing attack and turned the ball over twice, directly leading to 10 Seahawks points.
Costly turnovers
Both Eagles turnovers came in Seahawks territory and killed potential scoring drives. The first came on an ill-advised lateral from Hurts that was fumbled and recovered by Seattle. The second was a Boston Scott fumble at the goal line that was returned over 90 yards by the Seahawks defense.
Hurts acknowledged that he was trying to make too much happen at times, saying:
“I have to protect the ball better, make great decisions and get us into better plays.”
Illness slows Hurts
After the game, Hurts revealed he has been dealing with an unspecified illness that has hampered his play:
“I’m not going to make excuses. My health is not affecting my play.”
There did appear to be signs of fatigue from the quarterback in the second half. Several throws sailed high and he did not have his usual escapability when pressured.
Hurts did rush for 47 yards, including a late touchdown, but averaged under 4 yards per carry.
NFC East Title in Doubt
The Eagles entered week 15 with a 11-1 record and appeared to be cruising towards a division title. Their recent slide now has things looking much less certain.
| NFC East Standings | Record |
|---|---|
| Eagles | 12-3 |
| Cowboys | 10-4 |
Dallas has won four straight games and trails Philadelphia by just two games with three left to play. The teams still meet in the regular season finale on New Year’s Eve.
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said the Eagles need to recapture the formula that led to their hot start.
“We need to get back to playing Eagles football. The past few weeks, that hasn’t looked like us.”
If the slide continues, Philadelphia may need to win that game against the Cowboys to secure a playoff bye and home field advantage.
What’s Next
The Eagles will look to bounce back at home this Saturday against a struggling Giants team. New York has lost four of their last five games.
Philadelphia will likely need to win their final three contests to lock up the NFC East:
- Week 16: vs Giants
- Week 17: vs Saints
- Week 18: at Cowboys
The offense must perform better and eliminate turnovers if the Eagles hope to right the ship before the playoffs.
Hurts remains confident the team can turn things around:
“I know the man we have in that locker room, the men we have in that locker room…we will be better.”
The Eagles better hope so, or their Super Bowl dreams could be in jeopardy.
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