Jalen Hurts doesn’t believe the Philadelphia Eagles‘ two-game losing streak is anything to be concerned about.
Following the Eagles’ 33-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, Philadelphia has now lost their past two games against their biggest rivals, losing by a combined score of 75-32.
Although the Eagles are 10-3 and tied with the Cowboys for the NFC East lead — Dallas currently holds the tiebreaker — Hurts believes this is a temporary roadblock.
“This is something we’re going through, not something we’re stuck in,” said Hurts during the postgame press conference on Sunday, December 10.
The Eagles played a mistake-heavy game, turning the ball over three times, all on fumbles in Cowboys territory. Hurts, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown all had fumbles lost on possessions that would have likely ended in scores.
“We have to be better, I have to be better with my ball security as a runner,” said Hurts after the game.
Why the Eagles Are Struggling This Season
Prior to Philadelphia’s two-game losing skid, it was hard to argue against the notion that the Eagles were the best team in the NFL. They held the league’s best record at 10-1 and had defeated the Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills in a span of five weeks.
However, it is worth noting that with the exception of the win over the Dolphins, they didn’t dominate any of those games — they won those three games by a combined margin of 11 points. They also did so despite being out-gained in three of those four games.
The Eagles’ weaknesses have been on full display over the past two weeks, with their lack of pass rush and defense emerging as major issues. Philadelphia allowed Dallas to dominate the time of possession battle, holding the ball for nearly 37 minutes. Furthermore, they allowed the Cowboys to go 9-of-16 on third down conversions while allowing 394 yards of total offense.
After ranking as one of the top defenses with the best pass-rushing unit last season, Philadelphia now ranks among the bottom half in most major defensive categories. Entering their game against the Cowboys, the Eagles ranked 24th in points allowed per game (24.0), 22nd in yards and turnovers, 29th in passing yards and second-to-last in passing touchdowns allowed.
Over their past three games, they’ve now allowed 36.3 points and 451.6 total yards per game. Stretched over an entire season, those averages would rank as the worst in the NFL in both categories.
Eagles’ Pass Rush Has Taken Major Step Back
They now also rank just 12th in sacks after leading the league with 70 sacks last season — the third-most in a single season in NFL history. Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer noted how ineffective the Eagles have been in rushing the quarterback prior to their game against the Cowboys.
“Eagles organizational philosophy when building the defense is to over-invest in the pass rush at every turn,” writes Kapadia. “On third downs this season, the Eagles are sacking opposing quarterbacks 5.1% of the time. That’s the worst rate in the NFL.”
Despite the team’s struggles, Hurts is stressing in “trusting the process” to turn things around.
“It’s all about knowing the process and trusting in the process,” said Hurts. “Trusting in the guys around you. There’s going to be bumps in the road, there’s going to be adversity that you have to come through. But it’s all about how you respond to it.”
Comments
Jalen Hurts Sends Strong Message to Eagles After Loss to Cowboys