On Monday night, quarterback Jalen Hurts found it difficult to spark the Philadelphia Eagles’ flagging offense. And even though he didn’t perform well on the field in a 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, maybe his remarks following the game will make the difference.
After the Eagles lost for the third straight game and fell to the No. 5 seed in the NFC, Jalen Hurts, who was doubtful before the game due to flu-like symptoms, questioned the team’s “commitment.”
One of the worst things an athlete can say is that they are not committed. Usually, it can be interpreted as a criticism of an athlete’s manhood, selfishness, or both.
In any case, Jalen Hurts was circumspect in his answers, but there was no doubting the message he was conveying—in addition to putting himself in the way out of self-accountability.
Jalen Hurts stated, “I don’t think we were committed enough.” Hurts said, “We’ve been talking about execution all year. Coming to an understanding, all parties being in agreement. We failed to carry out. We weren’t all that committed, in my opinion. It just needs to be turned around, you know. You know, we have to rise to the challenge. Just keep going until it’s finished.”
Unfortunately, though, this is the extent of the Eagles’ season. Reports surfaced last week of serious finger-pointing and drama in the locker room among the players. As a result of their frustrations, Matt Patricia was given the responsibility of calling defensive plays instead of defensive coordinator Sean Desai.
How are the Philadelphia Eagles doing?
Just three weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were cruising as the NFL’s top team. With a 10-1 record, they were the best team and had triumphed in four straight games after trailing at halftime each time.
Because of his ability to lead the team to victory with both his arm and legs, Hurts was considered the early favorite to win the NFL MVP award. Hurt was a starting quarterback for the two seasons, with a 26-3 record when postseason play was taken into account.
However, in the last three weeks, he has now equaled those three defeats. And despite having the best offensive line in the league and playmakers like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and De’Andre Swift, the offense has been a major contributor, scoring just 16.3 points per game.
In contrast, the defense was completely destroyed by giving up 42 and 33 points in consecutive blowout losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.
After being cut by the Indianapolis Colts, former All-Pro Shaq Leonard was signed by the Eagles to bolster their linebacking corps. However, he has not yet participated in an Eagles victory.
What lies ahead for the Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts?
The Eagles have a great opportunity to turn things around and get back on track over the next three weeks, starting with two games against the New York Giants and one against Arizona, despite their current struggles.
When the Philadelphia Eagles were playing at their best, they took great pride in their winning culture. But during difficult times, a team’s true nature comes to light.
And the Eagles will take their leader’s challenge and begin examining themselves in the mirror if a winning culture really does exist, as they assert.