The Philadelphia Eagles suffered an eye-opening third-straight loss in “Monday Night Football,” with many individuals focusing on quarterback Jalen Hurts and his brutal five-turnover performance.
Four of Hurts’ turnovers were interceptions, including one on his team’s final drive in overtime with a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown. He also briefly recovered a fumble earlier in the game, which he fumbled right back to the Chargers on the same play.
The result was a disappointing 22-19 loss for Philadelphia. However, running back Saquon Barkley wouldn’t point fingers at his teammate, suggesting he’s still confident in his QB despite the difficult outing.
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Following the game, a reporter asked Barkley to speak on Hurts and what occurred out on the field in Los Angeles. He said he still has a “high” level of confidence in him despite the losing effort, but also spoke on the team having some work left to do for their “end goal.”
“I don’t really know what the numbers were, but in my opinion, when we got the ball back in overtime, and I got Jalen Hurts as my quarterback, I got all the confidence that we’re gonna win that football game,” Barkley told reporters, adding, “Sometimes it just doesn’t work.”
“This doesn’t change anything. If anything, it’s just gonna continue to make us closer, and it’s gonna make us closer,” he said.
“It doesn’t make sense right now, but we know what the end goal is. We know what we want to accomplish, and we’ve got a long ways to go,” Barkley said of his team’s situation, mentioning they’d “move on and get ready for the next one.”
The Eagles running back also said he’s a “big believer in pointing the thumb, not the finger,” and would start with taking accountability for how he could have performed better.
Hurts finished with 240 yards on 21-of-40 completed passes. He was only sacked once, but the four interceptions were a glaring stat, including the game’s disappointing final interception near the end zone.
While Hurts had a rough night, Barkley emerged as the team’s star performer in the loss. He finished with 20 carries for 122 yards and a 52-yard touchdown, which he broke away for in the fourth quarter to give his team the lead.
However, the Chargers didn’t back down, and quarterback Justin Herbert, playing after recent hand surgery, showed resolve and toughness in leading his team to an overtime victory.
The Chargers QB finished with just 139 yards and a touchdown. Despite one interception, he made several crucial plays, taking off to help his team get a first down or better field position. Herbert finished with 66 rushing yards for his team.
Monday’s loss doesn’t necessarily hurt the 8-5 Eagles’ chances of getting into the playoffs. However, a team that was once considered top-tier and capable of winning the NFC is now sitting at third seed in the playoff picture.
The Eagles will have some time to reflect on their mistakes and prepare for their next game, which seems winnable against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, after three losses, many teams may see a struggling defending Super Bowl champion that is highly beatable.
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