Numbers Give Fascinating Insight Into Jaguars' Loss

The Jacksonville Jaguars almost pulled off an upset on the road against the Eagles. However, in the National Football League, almost does not count.

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head c coach Doug Pederson argues a call during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars dropped another challenging game on Sunday. Their matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles was one of their most competitive games of the season. Still, the Jaguars went home with a loss. 

Mark Chichester of Pro Football Focus noted that the Eagles’ stars came to play. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley performed well against the Jaguars and was critical in ensuring the Eagles did not lose after building such a sizeable lead. 

“Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley delivered standout performances to help the Philadelphia Eagles overcome some self-inflicted obstacles in a 28-23 victory over the Jaguars in Week 9,” Chichester said.

“Hurts completed 19 of his 25 passes for 238 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions while also adding 66 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Barkley complemented him with 150 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own.

Chichester noted that questionable decisions by the Eagles' coaching staff kept the game close longer than it would have had the Eagles simply taken the easy points. However, not doing so allowed Jacksonville to crawl back into the game. 

“Head coach Nick Sirianni opted against taking easy points, as the Eagles went 0-for-2 on fourth downs and missed on all three of their 2-point conversion attempts,” Chichester said. “These decisions led to a long 57-yard field goal attempt by Jake Elliott with 2:16 remaining, which he missed, giving Jacksonville the ball at their own 47-yard line.

The Jaguars' go-ahead drive was cut short when Trevor Lawrence misfired on a back-shoulder throw into the end zone, a throw linebacker Nakobe Dean intercepted for his first career pick.

Chichester listed Hurts as the player of the game afer receiving his highest PFF grade of the season. The porous Jaguars defense was just what the Eagles needed at this point in the season. 

“Jalen Hurts appears to have found his groove,” Chichester said. “After starting the season with five consecutive single-game passing grades below 71.0, Hurts has now graded above 75.0 in each of his last three games, with this performance (90.9) marking a season-best.

“He was particularly effective on deep passes, connecting on all four attempts of 20-plus yards for 127 yards and two touchdowns, generating a perfect 158.3 passer rating on those throws.

“As always, Hurts was a force on the ground, adding 66 yards, one touchdown, and three first downs on 13 rushing attempts. Two of those carries went for 10 or more yards, and he averaged 5.1 yards per carry on the day.

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