Jalen Hurts' House of Horrors Haunts Philadelphia Eagles in First Loss of Season
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – MetLife Stadium doesn’t look like a haunted house or anything spooky, with the New York City skyline shimmering in the distance, but it has become a house of horrors for Jalen Hurts.
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback threw not one, not two, but three interceptions and the NFL is now out of undefeated teams after a 20-14 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday and, earlier in the day, a San Francisco 49ers defeat to the Cleveland Browns.
The last time – and only other time – Hurts threw three picks in one game was in this very same building, on Nov. 28, 2021, in a 13-7 loss to the New York Giants, who share the place with the Jets. The Eagles turned the ball over four times when you throw in D’Andre Swift’s fumble, and Philly is now minus-one in the turnover ratios department for the season.
Playoff teams are usually on the plus side of things, but the Eagles’ defense hasn’t forced a turnover since Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Reed Blankenship intercepted Baker Mayfield.
“You turn the ball over four times you shouldn’t expect to win,” said Hurts. “It’s an opportunity to look ourselves in the mirror and respond and I have confidence that this team will do so.”
It has to start with a 5-1 Miami Dolphins team next Sunday night in primetime.
Hurts had been 22-1 as a starter over his last 23 regular-season games and had won 11 straight games on the road. Another one would have put him in the company of Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks to win 12 straight away from home in the last 50-plus years.
His last loss away from Lincoln Financial Field, which wasn’t a neutral site, was the wild-card game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January of 2022.
The last time the Jets beat the Eagles? Well, never. Until Sunday, they had been 0-12 against them.
New York Jets safety Tony Adams (22) runs back an interception against Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium.
© Brad Penner, USA TODAY
Not all the picks were Hurts’ fault.
The first one is on tight end Dallas Goedert, who failed to put the ball away and it ended up bouncing into the air for an easy swipe The second was a failure to block Jermaine Johnson effectively enough because Johnson hit Hurts' arm as he threw.
The third one, and perhaps the most costly was all Hurts.
Faced with a third-and-nine after the two-minute warning, the Eagles chose to try a pass from their own 46 to likely end the game with New York out of timeouts.
Hurts was throwing to Dallas Goedert. Instead, it went to New York Jets safety Tony Adams.
“I think I had an opportunity, and I didn’t do my job," Hurts said. "I don’t think I made the correct read on it, but it happens.”
Especially at MetLife Stadium.
Hurts attempted 45 passes because the Eagles didn’t seem to care much about running the ball, probably because New York was without four cornerbacks. The QB completed 28 of those for 280 yards.
In the second half, however, he was just 10-for-20 for 108 yards and two picks.
“It looked like they played some sort of cover four on that," said head coach Nick Sirianni about Hurts' final interception. "We had a completion on that play earlier in the drive and then I’ll have to look at the tape exactly. I know Jalen’s going to want that play back, obviously.”
The running game was nonexistent against a Jets defense that was one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. On the first drive of the game, Hurts attempted 12 passes. The Eagles had just 80 yards on the ground.
“I don’t know,” Jason Kelce responded to a question from SI Eagles Today on why the running game was lacking. “You’re missing two (starting) corners. Coaches definitely notice that and the way our passing game was clicking, we felt confident with that. For the most part, it was there.
"We were moving the ball effectively. We really stalled things ourselves for the most part. I think it was also compounded when we weren’t as efficient running the ball."
The Eagles may have bigger problems now than one loss.
They took a beating on the injury front, losing right tackle Lane Johnson to an ankle injury on the first series of the game. Jack Driscoll struggled in his place.
They also lost key members of a secondary that was already banged up. Leaving and not returning during the game were Eli Ricks (knee), Reed Blankenship (ribs), and Bradley Roby (shoulder) during the game.
When Blankenship left, the Eagles had to use cornerback Mekhi Garner, an undrafted free agent who was making his NFL debut after being elevated from the practice squad, as a safety.
This loss may only be the tip of the iceberg as the Eagles’ schedule begins to get tougher over the next six weeks.
