Jalen Hurts Takes Heat Off Eagles OC After Five Turnovers In Loss To Chargers

LOS ANGELES – Jalen Hurts rallied around his embattled offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo, on Monday night in the worst way possible. The Eagles quarterback threw four interceptions in a 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

Nobody will be screaming on the radio to fire Patullo this week. Nobody will be walking around with signs saying the same thing. Talk will now center on the starting QB and whether he should be benched.

He’s in a slump, that’s for sure, but benching him? Nah. Hurts turned the ball over five times against the Chargers and now has seven turnovers in the last two games. The Eagles have lost three in a row for the first time since the end of the 2023 collapse.

The four interceptions were a new career-high, and it happened in his 79th career start. His previous high was three, done twice. Both times were in the shadow of New York City, in 2021 against the Giants and 2023 against the Jets.

“Winning is point of pride to me,” he said. “That’s why we play the game. I have to find ways to lead our team to victories. It’s not something that’s foreign to us. We’re just not able to do it at the moment, and it starts with me and how I play, how I lead, and how I go out there and do my job. When I look at it, it’s how I respond to a test, and what level of resilience and resolve I have to push forward and figure things out.”

His final pick ended the game. It came after the Eagles sent their defense out after winning the overtime toss despite being on the field for 11 plays and 2:08, allowing the Chargers to march down the field to tie the game at 19-19 on a 46-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker. The former Eagles kicker made all five of his field goal attempts, including a 54-yarder in overtime that gave LA the lead at 22-19.

Jalen Hurts' Last Pick Ended It

The Eagles' offense got its chance and moved to the 16, overcoming a third-and-16 on a great throw from Hurts to DeVonta Smith for 28 yards.

On the first play from there, Hurts threw a pass intended for Jahan Dotson in the end zone. The ball was deflected by Cam Hart and Tony Jefferson intercepted it around the 2. Game over.

“I knew it was going to be a tight window throw,” said Hurts. “I’d have to watch the film to see it from the films’ point of view. Ultimately, it’s a play I didn’t make. I had my hand on the ball, and I didn’t make the play.”

The turnovers undid some of the good the offense did, such as run up 365 total yards to the Chargers’ 275.

Also:

-Running back Saquon Barkley had his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with 122 yards on 20 carries, a 6.1 average. His 52-yard touchdown burst off a fake tush push on the first play of the fourth quarter gave the Eagles a 16-13, their first lead since Nov. 23 when they were up 21-0 in Dallas before losing.

-A.J. Brown had 100 yards receiving for a third straight game, hitting exactly 100 on six catches.

-The defense sacked LA quarterback Justin Herbert seven times, with Jalyx Hunt getting 2.5, Jordan Davis 1.5, Byron Young 1.5, Nakobe Dean one, and Zack Baun a half-sack.

But Hurts simply wasn’t good enough.

“For me, we lost the game, and I didn’t play well enough to help us win the game,” he said. “I look at it like every game, win or lose, and how I respond to what the game presents. We gotta go out there and put it together. At the end of the day, the 'we,' it’s 'I.' It starts with me and how I play, how I lead, and it’s up to me to figure it out. There’s no excuses.”

More NFL: Turnovers Galore, But No Touchdowns For Eagles, Who Trail 10-6 At Halftime