SI:AM | Another Dud for the Scuffling Eagles

Philadelphia’s offense has been horrendous of late, and there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have dropped three straight after losing to the Chargers on Monday. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t believe the Colts might turn to a literal grandfather to save their season. 

In today’s SI:AM: 
🦅 Eagles lay an egg
⚡ Chargers grind out an ugly one
🥊 Sydney Sweeney stars in boxing biopic

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Eagles keep spinning their wheels

Last year’s Super Bowl champions are a long way from repeating. 

The Eagles lost an ugly overtime heartbreaker to the Chargers on Monday Night Football, 22–19, and have now lost three in a row. It was an especially bad night for quarterback Jalen Hurts, who threw a career-worst four interceptions. He also lost a fumble. 

Incredibly, the fumble came on the same play as one of the interceptions. In the second quarter, Hurts threw a pass right into the chest of Los Angeles defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand, who then fumbled the ball. Hurts picked it up, fumbled and the Chargers pounced on it. It was that kind of night for Hurts. 

Hurts’s worst play of the night was the one that sealed the Eagles’ fate. Late in overtime, with Philadelphia already well within range to at least kick a game-tying field goal, Hurts forced a pass into double coverage and was intercepted by safety Tony Jefferson. Game over. Chargers win. 

TONY MF JEFFERSON FOR THE WIN

📺 | @espn pic.twitter.com/CGetSizPGW

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 9, 2025

“I didn’t play well enough. Too many turnovers,” Hurts said after the game. “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.”

The Eagles’ offense has been stuck in quicksand for weeks. Since their bye, they’ve averaged just 16.2 points per game. They managed to eke out a 10–7 win over the Packers and a 16–9 victory against the Lions before dropping three straight. Philadelphia hasn’t scored more than 21 points in any of its last five games. The only other team in the NFL that hasn’t scored more than three touchdowns in a game over that span is the Raiders, who are tied for the worst record in the league. It’s the first time in 20 years that the Eagles have gone five games without scoring more than 21 points. 

The stagnant offense has sparked criticism of new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who was promoted from pass game coordinator before the season after the departure of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. It’s easy to blame the new guy, but the reality is that the Eagles’ offense has regressed in a variety of ways—not all of which can be attributed to Patullo. 

For one thing, Hurts hasn’t been as sharp. His passer rating is 96.0, down from 103.7 last year. Over the past five games, it’s even worse (72.4). Saquon Barkley has also taken a step backward. After becoming the ninth player in NFL history with 2,000 rushing yards in a season last year, he’s on pace for only about 1,100 this season. He’s gone from averaging 5.8 yards per carry to 4.0. The Eagles have also had struggles on the offensive line all season. Mekhi Becton, who started at right guard last season, left in free agency. Center Cam Jurgens has missed two games this season and played through injuries in others. Right tackle Lane Johnson has missed the last three games. 

The Eagles were one of the best teams in the NFL last season because of their strong running game. But with Hurts having an off year, opponents are more willing to stack the box and dare the Eagles to throw it. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Barkley is facing eight-plus defenders in the box on 30.7% of his carries this season, compared to 20.6% last season. The banged-up offensive line hasn’t been able to create holes for Barkley, and Hurts hasn’t been effective enough as a passer to force defenses to move guys away from the line of scrimmage. 

The silver lining for the Eagles is that they’re still in position to make the playoffs and host a first-round game. At 8–5, they’re in first place in the NFC East, with the Cowboys in second at 6-6-1. Philadelphia’s schedule gets a whole lot easier over the final four weeks as well, with the 2–11 Raiders up next and a pair of games against the 3–10 Commanders. A Dec. 28 game in Buffalo against the Bills (9–4) is the only tough game left. Will the Eagles take advantage of the soft remaining schedule to straighten things out on offense? If they don’t, there isn’t a chance we’ll see them defend their crown in Santa Clara in February. 

The best of Sports Illustrated

Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers won another ugly one to improve to 9–4. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

• Gilberto Manzano reports that Monday night’s Eagles–Chargers game was tough to watch at times, but the Chargers still found a way to win ugly—just how coach Jim Harbaugh likes it.
• Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has drawn much of the ire from Philly fans for the team’s offensive struggles this year. But Monday’s loss to the Chargers falls on quarterback Jalen Hurts, writes Matt Verderame.
• Can 44-year-old Philip Rivers save the free-falling Colts? We’re not sure, but his battle against Father Time is must-see TV, writes Conor Orr.
• Stephanie Apstein details how Sydney Sweeney takes on Christy Martin’s harrowing real-life story in Christy, embracing a role that reshapes Sweeney’s star persona and highlights a fighter’s survival inside and outside the ring.
• There was no shortage of storylines in college football this season. Bryan Fischer breaks down the 12 biggest lessons we learned that don’t involve the playoff.
• When the Padres gave up a huge package to land closer Mason Miller before the 2025 trade deadline, it didn’t make much sense. Ryan Phillips argues that it looks even worse in hindsight.

The top five…

… things I saw last night: 
5. Saquon Barkley’s 52-yard touchdown run on a toss play after the Eagles faked the Tush Push look.
4. An acrobatic putback dunk by Spurs guard Stephon Castle. 
3. This perfectly accurate throw by Justin Herbert while rolling to his left. 
2. A backhand beauty by the Kings’ Adrian Kempe. 
1. Pelicans rookie Derik Queen’s triple-double. Queen had 33 points (on 11-for-15 shooting from the floor and 11-for-13 from the line), 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocks. The only other rookies in NBA history to have 10-plus field goals and 10-plus free throws in a triple-double are Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan.