It hurts to lose a game in the NFL, but it hurts extra hard when you’re winning the game with eight seconds left and still lose it. The pun on “hurts” is intended, by the way.
Well, that’s exactly what happened to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The team took the lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars toward the very end of the game, only to blow it in the last eight seconds. Even though the Jags were favored to win the game, seeing the Eagles ahead had made it seem like this game was over, but it wasn’t.
But there’s a silver lining for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. He worked with what he had. It’s hard to blame him when you look at the lineup and reality.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has a silver lining despite loss to Jags
That’s an issue ESPN points out in a piece released on Monday looking at Week 5 NFL matchups. They discuss the Eagles’ game and how Hurts worked with the limited offense he had.
“Jalen Hurts did well to help manufacture some offense with a depleted group in the first half,” Tim McManus of ESPN notes. “He went 5-of-7 against the blitz before the break — a troubling issue last week against the Rams — and hit Darius Cooper for a 61-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.”
He also points out that the “offense was stymied for most of the second half and was in jeopardy of being held scoreless after halftime for the third consecutive game. But Hurts moved the Eagles down the field late, setting up Jake Elliott’s go-ahead 48-yarder with eight seconds remaining.”
So, don’t blame Hurts. He wasn’t perfect, but he did what he could, and that’s the point McManus is making.
