The Philadelphia Eagles have lost three straight. That’s not their biggest problem, however. Philadelphia’s biggest issue is the concerns those defeats have raised. Chief among them is quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is struggling in his third full season as a starter. Hurts has thrown a career-high 12 interceptions this season. He has not thrown a TD in the past two games. What gives?
Is Hurts injured or sick?
He was on the injured list with an unspecified illness before Monday’s 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. National media reported Hurts injured his knee in an Oct. 15 loss to the New York Jets. Is it the play calling? Are the Eagles running plays with pass routes that take too long to develop?
“I’ve been talking about execution all year,” Hurts, 25, said after Monday’s loss. “Everyone being on the same page. We didn’t execute. I don’t think 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.” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni took the blame Wednesday for the offense’s poor showing.
“The criticism of this offense should come to me,” he said. “It is my offense. I was hired to do a job here. I think it unfairly goes to Brian (Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson) because he’s calling the plays.”
The Eagles signed Hurts to a five-year $255 million contract that takes him through the 2028 season. Finding a franchise quarterback just might be the toughest thing to do in all of sports. Hurts isn’t going anywhere. He is 33-15 as a starter. He led the Eagles to last season’s Super Bowl. Philadelphia is 10-4 this season.
Sirianni noted that before this losing streak Hurts was a legitimate MVP candidate. “I would say offensively we haven’t played or coached up to our standard the last three games,” the coach said. “It’s the body of work for the year. We know and we’re confident that we all can get back to that body of work that we put in prior to this three-game stretch. Has this three-game stretch been our standard? No, and we’re working like crazy, and we’re determined to get back to where we were prior to this.”
But there’s no denying that Hurts performance this season has created some doubt about his future. The Eagles have three games left this season — two against the New York Giants (5-9) and one against the Arizona Cardinals (3-11). Those games because of the poor opposition won’t answer any questions about Hurts. Hurts will next be judged by how he performs in the playoffs.
But just because Hurts is in a slump doesn’t mean he’s going to be the next Carson Wentz or the Eagles should abandon him. The relationship between a football team, its fans and its franchise quarterback needs to stand the test of time and be stronger than a three-game losing streak. Now a four-game losing streak? That’s a different story.
