Eagles' Slide Continues as Jalen Hurts Struggles in Overtime Loss to Chargers
The NFC East race is still alive-and the Dallas Cowboys have the Los Angeles Chargers to thank for that.
In a game that could’ve all but sealed the division for Philadelphia, the Eagles stumbled hard in a 27-24 overtime loss to a Chargers team led by a banged-up Justin Herbert. Playing through a recent procedure on his non-throwing hand, Herbert wasn’t operating at full strength. But he didn’t need to be-not with the Eagles turning the ball over five times, four of them courtesy of Jalen Hurts.
Hurts, who’s often praised for his poise and leadership, had one of the roughest outings of his career. He threw three interceptions, lost a fumble, and even managed to commit two turnovers on the same play in the first half.
His decision-making looked shaky, his timing was off, and the Chargers’ defense didn’t have to do anything exotic to force mistakes. They simply sat back and waited.
Still, inside the Eagles’ locker room, the message was one of unity. Running back Saquon Barkley, who’s quickly become one of the team’s more respected voices, was asked about his confidence in Hurts moving forward. His answer was unwavering.
“High,” Barkley said. “I don’t know what the numbers were.
In my opinion, when we got the ball back in overtime, and I got Jalen Hurts as my quarterback, I got all the confidence we’re going to win the football game. Sometimes, it doesn’t work.
… This doesn’t change anything.”
That’s what you expect from a leader. Barkley wasn’t about to throw his quarterback under the bus, even after a performance that left fans frustrated and the offense searching for answers. But the reality is, Hurts is in a slump-and it’s not a small one.
Over his last five games, Hurts is completing just 57.5% of his passes for 1,077 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. He’s thrown four touchdowns against five interceptions in that stretch, with a passer rating of 72.4. Those numbers aren’t just below his standard-they’re near the bottom of the league among starting quarterbacks.
The Eagles have now dropped three straight, and while the defense has done its part-allowing just 19.2 points per game in that span-the offense has sputtered. The contrast is stark: if Dallas had that kind of defensive support during their rough patches, they might be comfortably atop the division right now.
Naturally, the heat is turning up on offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Play-calling has been a hot topic in Philly all season, and this latest loss won’t quiet the noise.
But while Patullo’s schemes haven’t exactly lit the league on fire, the deeper issue is Hurts’ execution. The reads are late, the throws are off-target, and the confidence that once made him dangerous seems to be fading.
That’s not to say Hurts can’t turn things around-he’s done it before. But right now, he’s not playing winning football. And in a game where the Eagles only needed average quarterback play to walk out of Inglewood with a win, they got the opposite.
Even with all the turnovers, the Eagles still had a shot late. They got the ball first in overtime.
One score could’ve ended it. But with the way things were going, it felt like the Chargers had all the momentum-and Hurts’ body language didn’t inspire much confidence.
Instead of clinching the NFC East, the Eagles opened the door for Dallas. The Cowboys, who have their own inconsistencies to work through, suddenly find themselves right back in the mix.
The Eagles still control their destiny, but the margin for error is gone. And unless Hurts can shake off this slump, the division-and maybe more-could slip away.