Eagles Stumble After Losing Jalen Hurts Early, 1st Loss Since Bye
The run is over. After 10 straight wins, the Eagles finally lost a game. From the onset, I will mention the most important part of that loss, something the TV broadcast crew neglected throughout. The loss of Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles looked like they were on their way to a rout. They got a big 4th down stop on defense to start the game, easily went down the field to score a TD, and then forced another turnover the following drive. But then Jalen Hurts took a hit to the head. They sent him into the blue tent to get checked out, and Kenny Pickett went in. Soon enough Hurts went back into the locker room, and he never came back out.
Kenny Pickett actually started out well. He finished the drive Hurts started and even threw a TD. But it all went downhill from there.
His next drive he was picked off. Worse than that pick though, he garnered no respect from the Commanders D. Saquon Barkley faced stacked boxes every play, and outside of a 60-yard TD, was ineffective for most of the game. They dared Pickett to beat them, and he was not able to.
Eagles Defense Has It’s Worst Game Of The Season
The offense has an obvious excuse for its struggles. The drop at the end by Devonta Smith obviously can’t happen, but you can’t really blame them as a team for struggling with Kenny Pickett under center.
The defense does not have that same excuse though. Yes, they lost CJ Gardner Johnson. But losing 1 of your Safeties is not the same as losing your QB, and this was the defense’s worst game yet. Which is odd to say given the 5 turnovers they forced. But a complete implosion by them, 22 points allowed in the 4th quarter, turned a 2-score lead into a loss.
Quinyon Mitchell got burnt for his first TD of the season. The line lost contain of Jayden Daniels multiple times, letting him scramble for big gains, including 1 that converted a long 4th down. Finally, they let the Commanders easily move down the field to score the game-winning TD.
This defense looked like the best in the league for most of the season. But with Hurts out, the Eagles needed them to step up. They could not.
What Comes Next?
The NFC East is suddenly interesting. The Eagles need just 1 more win, or 1 more Commander’s loss. But with Hurts in concussion protocol, it is unclear if he will be available for the Cowboys game next week. If they lose that game, and the Commanders beat the Falcons, suddenly the Eagles would need to beat the Giants the final week.
Beating the Giants is not the concerning part. But the hope was that if the 1 seed was put out of reach by then, that they could use that game as a proto-bye week. Losing this game could cost them that chance. Speaking of the 1 seed, this in all likelihood cost them any chance at that. They will need to Lions to lose out, and the Vikings to lose this week, and next week, then beat the Lions.
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The All Time Roster Of Philadelphia Eagles We Don't Appreciate Enough
QB- Rodney Peete
Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
In the era between Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb there was a lot of bad QB play in Philly. Only one guy, Rodney Peete, stands out as doing anything special. Peete was by no means great, but compared to what the Eagles were dealing with outside of him, he was a Star. Peete went 9-3 with the eagles in 1995 after replacing Randall Cunningham, and even beat the Lions in the playoffs in a game where he put up over 450 total yards.
WR- Jeremy Maclin
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Playing with Desean Jackson took some of the shine away from Maclin. But 4,771 yards, 36 TDs, and 343 catches in 5 seasons is pretty damn good. And the one year he had a chance to be the WR1 with the Eagles he put up 1,381 yards. He showed up in the playoffs too, even if the team around him didn’t. In his 2 playoff games here he had 219 yards, a TD, and 9 First Downs. Maclin was very good for the Eagles.
WR- Irving Fryar
Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
Fryar’s time with the Eagles was short, and came at the end of his career. But he was great those first two years. 1,195 yards the first season, and then 1,316 the second, with 18 TDs between them. What makes it more impressive is who he had throwing to him. Mark Rypien, Rodney Peete, Bobby Hoying, Ty Detmer, and Koy Detmer. Peete is the only one of the bunch with any talent.
RB- Correll Buckhalter
(Photo by Greg Trott/Getty Images)
Buck lived in the shadow of Duce Staley and then B West. Which is a trend you will see a lot on this list. But Buck was as good of a backup RB as you could ask for. In 5 seasons, he averaged 4.5 yards a carry. He unfortunately missed a lot of time, 3 out of 4 years in the mid 2000s. But when he was healthy he was the perfect complement to B West. 2,155 yards and 21 TDs from a backup across 5 seasons is nothing to sneeze at.
FB- Leonard Weaver
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
FB barely exists in the NFL anymore. But I had to give some love to Leonard Weaver. I am the only person I know who still has a Leonard Weaver Jersey, or even had one to begin with. He only spent one year here, but in that year he was an All-Pro. He was very effective as a second back behind LeSean McCoy. Maybe he could have repeated it a second year if it wasn’t for a career ending injury in the first game of the following season.
TE- Chad Lewis
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
The Eagles have had a lot of great Tight Ends. Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, Keith Jackson. You can even throw Brent Celek in there who was maybe not as great as those 3 but was an exceptional Tight End for years. But Chad Lewis is one name that goes under the radar a bit. He was a Pro Bowler for 3 straight seasons at one point. Was he a Super Star? No. But he was a solid and reliable target for Donovan McNabb.
T- Halapoulivaati Vaitai
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Big V! Nick Foles gets all the credit for filling in as a backup and playing great in the Super Bowl, but Big V fits that bill too. Jason Peters was a Hall of Fame LT. And him going down to be replaced by a backup was a big issue at the time. Thankfully Big V filled his shoes near perfectly. Great enough to get himself a big deal elsewhere. And he is still playing well for the Lions after moving inside.
G- Evan Mathis
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Mathis was sneakily great during his time here. Almost every Offensive Guard is under appreciated, just because it’s a position that rarely ever gets any shine. But Mathis played at an All-Pro Level for his 4 seasons here. Playing in between Jason Kelce and Jason Peters helps a lot. But Mathis was great in his own right.
C- Jamaal Jackson
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Jackson was a mainstay at Center for the Eagles for several years before Jason Kelce came onto the scene. You can tell when an O-Lineman does their job well when you don’t hear much about them. And we did not hear from Jackson much at all during that time. He was no Jason Kelce, but few are. Still, he was reliable for a long period of time.
G- Todd Herremans
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Herremans also spent time at RT, but for most of his 10-year career with the Eagles, he played either Right or Left Guard. You don’t keep a job for 10 years not playing well. But like we said with Mathis, Guards just don’t get much love. Herremans does deserve lots of love though.
T- Barrett Brooks
Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule Jr.
Picking an underrated Tackle for the Eagles is hard, because for so long they have had long term stability there. And we can’t exactly call Runyan, Peters, or Johnson underrated. Brooks fits the bill though. Was he a Hall of Famer like some of the others guys who have played Tackle here? No. But he was a solid reliable tackle.
DE- Clyde Simmons
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Playing on the same team as Reggie White can make it hard to get noticed as a pass rusher. And while Clyde was not as great as Reggie, few are, he is still a borderline Hall of Famer. Clyde is currently 3rd on the Eagles All-Time Sack list, behind Reggie White and Trent Cole. Brandon Graham has a chance to pass him with 4 more sacks, but no other active player is even close. He is 31st on the All-Time Sack list with 121.5. Ahead of JJ Watt and Aaron Donald.
DT- Mike Patterson
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Being A DT who is not a pass rusher tends to get you a bit overlooked. But every team needs a run stuffing DT. Patterson fit that role for 8 years with the Eagles. While he did not rack up a lot sacks, he still found ways to be disruptive, slow down the run, and help other guys pile up stats.
DT- Andy Harmon
Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule Jr. /Allsport
Like Clyde, Harmon gets overshadowed by what Reggie White was doing. But 39.5 sacks in 4 seasons as a starter is fantastic. Especially for a Defensive tackle. That isn’t even taking into account how great he was against the run.
DE- Mike Mamula
. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
Yes I know. He was not a good draft pick. Mamula never lived up to his draft status, especially considering Warren Sapp went after him. But Mamula was still a decent player. 31.5 sacks in 5 seasons is not bad. People call him a bust because of where he was picked. But he was still a decent player and not worthy of the hate he gets. People put him among the worst busts in Eagles history. But there are waaaay worse busts. Look no further than Danny Watkins to see what a real bust looks like.
LB- TJ Edwards
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
I think we are all learning this year how underrated TJ Edwards is. He was no star, but the downgrade from him to what they have this year is clear. He was solid in coverage, a good tackler, and always seemed to be in the right place. Linebacker has been a big issue for them this year, but it never was with TJ Edwards on the field. I myself am guilty of overlooking his loss and saying it wouldn’t be a big deal.
LB- William Thomas
(Photo By: Ken White / Stringer)
There are only two linebackers in NFL history with 25 interceptions and 35 sacks. Ray Lewis, and William Thomas. Thomas never gets talked about here. But he played Linebacker for the Eagles for 9 years and put up great production for a LB in almost every one of them. There were so many great players on that early 90s defense that Thomas gets overlooked. But he was a genuinely great player.
CB- Sheldon Brown
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
We were spoiled with Secondary talent in the Jim Johnson era. Brian Dawkins at Safety, Lito Sheppard at corner. Sheldon Brown almost gets over looked. But in terms of being a shutdown corner, Brown may have been better than Lito. And of course who could forget the big hit he put on Reggie Bush.
CB- Eric Allen
(Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
Okay, Eagles fans don’t underrate Allen. But I put him here for one reason, because he is somehow not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is 21st all time in interceptions, more than Deion Sanders and Champ Bailey. Allen was a force, and part of one of the best defenses ever. He 100% deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame. And until he is in there, he is underrated and eligible for this list.
CB- Bobby Taylor
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Like Sheldon Brown, Bobby Taylor gets overshadowed by who he played with. He also had Brian Dawkins at Safety, and then he had Troy Vincent across the field at the other CB spot. You could argue that 2002 CB tandem of Vincent and Taylor was better than Lito and Brown. Both are great. Taylor had 19 interceptions in 109 games for the Eagles.
S-Quintin Mikell
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Like with Clyde Simmons, Mikkel was overshadowed by Brian Dawkins. No one is going to notice the other Safety when one of the best of all time is lined up next to you. He spent two years playing alongside Dawkins before Joe Banner let one of the best players in franchise history leave for no reason. And he was as solid as they come in that role, and continued to play at a high level even after Dawkins was allowed to leave.
S- Rodney McLeod
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Malcolm Jenkins gets all the attention as the Safety on that Super Bowl team, But McLeod was very good as well. 11 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles is solid production And outside of making those plays, he quietly was very reliable in coverage, holding opposing QBs to a QB Rating under 60 in multiple seasons during his time here.
