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Jalen Hurts Took the Blame After Eagles Offense Falls Short in Playoff Loss to 49ers

The Eagles offense came up short one last time this season.

Eva Geitheim

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles fell short of the 49ers in their wild-card loss on Sunday.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles fell short of the 49ers in their wild-card loss on Sunday. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Like they have all season, the Eagles’ offensive issues came back to bite them in their wild-card loss to the 49ers on Sunday.

After scoring two touchdowns in the first half, the Eagles mustered only two field goals in the second half—continuing their habit of going quiet in the final two quarters this season. Meanwhile, the 49ers scored 13 points in the second half, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with just under three minutes remaining for the Eagles to try and counter.

More: After Playoff Exit, Eagles Must Ask Questions About Their Very Identity

The Eagles drove the ball down to the 49ers’ 20-yard line on their final possession, but were unable to score a touchdown or convert for a first down. On 4th-and-11, quarterback Jalen Hurts tried to connect with tight end Dallas Goedert, but the pass was deflected and fell incomplete, sealing a loss for Philadelphia.

"I just didn't make the play. I own it, I own it all,” Hurts said of that fourth down after the game.

Between penalties, drops and uninventive play-calling, the Eagles offense remained stagnant through a number of the most important moments in the game. Even while facing a depleted 49ers’ defense, the Eagles offense was unable to pick up the way many hoped it would during the postseason.

Multiple Eagles offensive players emphasized that their woes were not all on offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo or one player, but a let-down as a whole unit.

“Obviously you want more, obviously you work for more, but it’s an assessment of how we can improve in the end,” Hurts said of the Eagles scoring just 19 points with all the talent they have. “Regardless of what it looks like, it’s about how you learn from it, how you respond from it. And so, it’s not on any individual, it’s on us as a unit, this team, this year and we’ve got to improve from it.”

"It's been a common theme for us this year,” Saquon Barkley said. “We haven't done a good enough job of playing complete football, putting two halves together. Sometimes, you expect when you get into this moment [that] we'll just figure this out. It caught up to us. It's been the same thing all year."

After coming out on top last season, Hurts sees this down year as an opportunity for them to learn and improve off of going forward. Head coach Nick Sirianni sidestepped a question about Patullo’s future with the team, but regardless of their decision at play-caller, the Eagles offense will need to take a long look in the mirror for Philadelphia to return to true contention.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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