PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts just 10 months ago capped a fourth playoff appearance in four seasons with the Eagles with his first Super Bowl title — he earned MVP honors in a rout over Kansas City — that seemingly stamped him as a proven winner and arguably put him on top of a very short list of greatest quarterbacks in franchise history.
Super Bowl highlight reels can last forever.
The dominant results, not so much.
Hurts is in a post-Super Bowl haze and there are few signs he’s coming out of a slump for an Eagles team riding a three-game losing streak.
Hurts has accepted his share of the blame — bounding over offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo into the Eagle taking the bulk of criticism for the out-of-whack offense that has failed to score more than 21 points in five straight games, their worst stretch in a decade. There’s good reason everyone is looking at Hurts. He threw four interceptions (including the game-ender at the 1-yard line) and lost a fumble in an overtime loss to the Chargers.
Four picks and three straight losses are enough to stick the spotlight on Hurts and raise the question of whether he can reverse course for the NFC East leaders and get the Eagles (8-5) on track.
The Eagles might catch the break they need in the schedule Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-11). The Raiders have lost seven straight games and are 11 ½-point road underdogs.
The Eagles still play the three-win Washington Commanders twice over the final four games and do have a road game at Buffalo. The relatively soft schedule is a key reason why the Eagles should be able to avoid yet another collapse under coach Nick Sirianni that would pair with the one suffered in 2023. The Eagles started 10-1 before they lost five of their final six games and were bounced in the playoff opener.
Here the Eagles go again, each loss tightening the nerves for a fanbase that has lived through this cold stretch before.
“It’s nothing new that I haven’t faced before,” Hurts said. “It’s a matter of responding to it.”
Hurts will be the QB who gets to respond to the pressure, even after calls from fans and media and social media posters suggesting it might be time to give him a break and let backup Tanner McKee get a shot. In other words: bench the Super Bowl MVP with a 46-20 lifetime record, a 2-0 mark in NFC championship games and who owns one of the richest contracts for any quarterback.
Sirianni scoffed on his weekly Philadelphia sports talk radio appearance when he was asked if Hurts would keep his starting job this season.
Sirianni bluntly responded, “I think that’s ridiculous.”
Sirianni also had to publicly give Patullo two votes of confidence in two straight weeks when the offense couldn’t easily snap out of its funk. As much as Philly sports fans love a backup QB — often with good reason, such as Nick Foles and his Super Bowl win over the Patriots — it never seemed plausible Sirianni would actually bench Hurts for McKee.
The upside, Hurts likely can’t play much worse against the Raiders after his dismal outing against the Chargers.
He became the first Philadelphia player with five turnovers in a game since Donovan McNabb did it in 1999 as a rookie against Indianapolis. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Hurts was the first player to commit two turnovers on the same play as far as records go back to 1978, when he improbably threw a pick and lost a fumble recovery.
Hurts recovered from getting benched by Alabama coach Nick Saban at halftime of a national championship game by coming off the bench at halftime to rally the Crimson Tide a year later to win the SEC championship game. Hurts can bounce back from adversity, turning a demotion into a learning opportunity and a late-season slide in the NFL into motivational fuel the next season for a Super Bowl run.
He’s confident he can steady the Eagles again.
“When you put forth the work, put forth the effort, good things happen when you need them to happen,” Hurts said. “That’s my mentality. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am today.”
Knowing the other side
Kenny Pickett is taking first-team snaps in practice this week with Raiders starting quarterback Geno Smith day-to-day because of a right shoulder injury.
Pickett played for the Eagles last season, backing up Hurts.
“Yeah, I have a little familiarity with what they do,” Pickett said. “They’ve got great coaches, great players. Nothing but respect for those guys over there. I know it’s a huge challenge for us.”
Should he start, this could be an opportunity for Pickett to get his career back on track. He was drafted 20th overall by Pittsburgh in 2022, but after starting most of his first two seasons, Pickett now is on his fourth team in two years.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Pickett said of a potential start. “Philly’s an unbelievable place to play. I know the fans will be ready to go. They have a hell of a team they’ve kept.”
Pickett had only fond memories of going to Eagles games with his dad and grandfather since the New Jersey native was 5 years old.
Pickett was raised an Eagles fan who rooted for greats such as McNabb and Brian Westbrook. His boyhood dream came true last season when he started for the Eagles when Hurts was sidelined with a concussion, only for Pickett to suffer his own injuries and yield the spot to McKee.
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