The Philadelphia Eagles are in the middle of a rough stretch, and Monday night’s 22-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers only deepened the concern. That’s now three straight losses for Philly, and this one was especially painful-not just because of the result, but because of the way it unfolded.
Jalen Hurts, the Eagles’ franchise quarterback and team leader, had a night he’ll want to forget. But unfortunately for him-and for the Eagles-it’s going to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Hurts made some unwanted NFL history in the second quarter, and not the kind that gets you a plaque in Canton.
Let’s break it down: midway through the second, Hurts threw an interception to Chargers defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand. Hand tried to return it, but fumbled during the runback.
Hurts, hustling back into the play, recovered the ball-only to fumble it again after taking a hit. The Chargers pounced on it, and just like that, Hurts became the first player in NFL history to commit two turnovers on the same play.
It’s a wild, almost cartoonish sequence that encapsulated the chaos of the Eagles’ night.
And it didn’t stop there.
Hurts finished the game with five turnovers, including a career-high four interceptions. That ties the most turnovers ever committed by an Eagles player in a single game. It was, by any measure, one of the worst performances of his NFL career-and it couldn’t have come at a worse time, with the Eagles trying to hold onto their lead atop the NFC East.
The frustration was evident on the field and off. On their “New Heights” podcast, former Eagles center Jason Kelce and his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, didn’t sugarcoat what they saw.
“There were a lot of ‘what the f***’ plays,” Travis said. “Hurts actually became the first player since 1978 with two turnovers on the same play, which tells you how rare that sht is when it happens-but six [turnovers] in the second quarter alone is f**ing ridiculous.”
Now, to be clear, not all six of those miscues were directly on Hurts, but the sentiment stands: this was a meltdown, and it happened fast.
After the game, Hurts didn’t dodge responsibility. He owned up to the mistakes and acknowledged his role in the team’s third straight defeat.
“I didn’t play well enough. Too many turnovers,” Hurts said. “Lots of opportunities, especially when we get on the other side of the 50, and I wasn’t able to get us in the box.”
That kind of accountability is part of what’s made Hurts such a respected figure in the Eagles’ locker room. And despite the brutal outing, he’s not losing faith in the group.
“It definitely stings,” he said. “But how do you respond?
That’s the only way I know how to look at it. You’re going to see what type of resolve this team has… what’s in us to respond the way we want to.
We’ve just got to dig.”
And dig they must.
Even with the recent skid, the Eagles still sit atop the NFC East at 8-5. But the margin for error is shrinking. The Dallas Cowboys are close behind at 6-6-1, and with the season entering its final stretch, every possession, every decision, and yes, every turnover, matters that much more.
For Hurts and the Eagles, the next few weeks will be about more than just cleaning up the mistakes. It’s about proving they can weather adversity, recalibrate, and still be the contender many believed they were just a few weeks ago.