The Philadelphia Eagles are in unfamiliar territory-and not in a good way. Monday night’s 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers wasn’t just another mark in the L column; it was a full-blown unraveling on national television. And for a team that hoisted the Lombardi Trophy just last season, this latest stumble-now their third straight-has fans and leaders alike searching for answers.
Jason Kelce, never one to mince words, didn’t hide his frustration. On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, the veteran center and emotional heartbeat of the team laid it all out.
“It was just a frustrating game to watch,” Kelce said. “As an Eagles fan, we just continually kept kicking ourselves in the foot.”
He’s not wrong. The Eagles were their own worst enemy, and the tape doesn’t lie.
A red zone penalty wipes away a scoring chance. A turnover at the two-yard line kills momentum.
And then came one of the most bizarre sequences we’ve seen in years-maybe ever.
Let’s break it down.
The Play That Defied Logic
Late in the game, with the Eagles threatening inside the Chargers’ 5-yard line, Jalen Hurts dropped back and fired a pass-directly into the hands of Chargers defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand. That’s mistake number one. But the chaos was just beginning.
As Hand tried to return the interception, Eagles rookie running back Will Shipley punched the ball out. Hurts, hustling back into the play, scooped it up.
Redemption, right? Not quite.
Instead of securing the ball and living to fight another down, Hurts tried to make something out of nothing. That’s when Chargers defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell stripped him, and linebacker Troy Dye pounced on the loose ball.
Two turnovers. One play.
According to league records, no player has done that since at least 1978. It was the kind of moment that perfectly encapsulated the Eagles’ night-and their recent slide.
A Comedy of Errors
That play was just the tip of the iceberg. The Eagles coughed up the ball five times, including four interceptions from Hurts. Add in six penalties for 53 yards, and it’s not hard to see how a game that was within reach slipped away.
Kelce summed it up with the kind of blunt honesty only a locker room leader can deliver.
“It did feel like we were starting to click, and then every second we got into the red zone-turnover. The interception to lose... it was just a gut-wrenching way to end that one.”
Gut-wrenching is right. For a team built on discipline, physicality, and smart football, this was the opposite. The Eagles didn’t just lose to a 5-win Chargers team-they beat themselves, repeatedly.
Hurts Takes the Heat
To his credit, Jalen Hurts didn’t duck the spotlight after the game. He stood at the podium and owned it.
He acknowledged the mistakes, took responsibility for the outcome, and stressed the need for introspection-not just for himself, but for the entire locker room.
“I have to figure out how to win,” Hurts said. “And we all have to share that mindset.”
That’s the kind of leadership you want from your quarterback, even on a night when nothing went right. Hurts finished 21-of-40 for 240 yards, no touchdowns, and four picks.
By any standard, it was one of the worst outings of his career. But what matters now is how he-and the team-respond.
What’s Next
The Eagles are now 8-5, still in the playoff picture but trending in the wrong direction. The defense has had its lapses, the offense has lost its rhythm, and the turnovers are piling up. This isn’t just a cold streak-it’s a crisis of identity.
They’ll look to stop the bleeding this Sunday at home against the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders. On paper, it’s the perfect get-right game. But if we’ve learned anything from the past few weeks, it’s that nothing is guaranteed-not even against a struggling opponent.
The Eagles don’t just need a win. They need a statement. Something to remind themselves-and the rest of the league-that the championship DNA is still there.
Because right now, the champs are playing like anything but.