December 09, 2025
Kirby Lee/Imagn Images
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) embraces Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) after Monday night's game at SoFi Stadium.
It wasn't his worst pass of the game, but for Jalen Hurts on Monday night against the Chargers, any time he put the ball in the air, crazy stuff was bound to happen.
His 40th pass, on 1st and 10 at the Los Angeles 17-yard line, was headed for Jahan Dotson but was tipped by Chargers corner Cam Hart and plucked out of thin air by safety Tony Jefferson. It was Hurts' fourth interception, and came as the Eagles needed a score in overtime to keep the game going, or win it, as the Chargers had opened the extra session with a field goal.
Instead, the pick outright ended the game, and meant the Eagles had just lost their third straight in a worrisome 22-19 defeat. The Eagles haven't lost three straight games since the infamous 2023 season that ended in a complete meltdown.
Are these Eagles (8-5) headed for the same fate? Five turnovers, another maddeningly inefficient offensive showing, and another late drain by an overtaxed Eagles defense sure seem to point in that direction. Not too long ago, the Eagles were atop the NFC. Now, they're in danger of falling to the fourth seed – maybe even worse – if they can't get back on track.
Let's get to the good, bad and ugly:
• The pass rush will get most of the credit, and deservedly so, but plenty of those seven sacks on Justin Herbert came from Hebert holding onto the ball for too long and trying to make something happen, which means the secondary did an excellent job in coverage. Coverage sacks were aplenty. The return of safety Marcus Epps sure helped, and Cooper DeJean made some big plays, too. Adoree' Jackson became the first Eagles cornerback to get an interception this season
• The Eagles haven't had much innovation this year offensively, but their fake Tush Push plays have worked well throughout the season, typically in the red zone. You can add Saquon Barkley's 52-yard touchdown run to the list of positive plays from a push play formation, as Barkley took a pitch on 3rd-and-1 for 52 yards to paydirt. He was barely touched on the play (perhaps thanks to an uncalled Jordan Mailata holding), a reminder of what last year looked like.
• Defensive tackle Byron Young and occasionally rookie Ty Robinson played opposite Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo on the interior. Young not only had 1.5 sacks but combined with the others up front to hold LA's rushing attack in check. It's a rushing attack that had racked up the eighth-most rushing yards in the NFL over the past five weeks, and welcomed the return of rookie Omarion Hampton from a long stint on IR. Hampton and Kimani Vidal combined to average just 3.7 yards per carry.
• Aside from a costly missed Jake Elliott field goal, special teams were generally good. Braden Mann boomed a 53-yard punt that was made even better when Kylen Granson made an open-field tackle on Derius Davis for a 10-yard loss. Britain Covey, now entrenched as the return specialist, had an 18-yard return in the fourth quarter that helped the offense get good field position on the late fourth-quarter drive that ended with Elliott giving the Eagles a 19-16 lead with 2:16 to play. Covey averaged 18 yards on his three punt returns and almost 26 yards on his four kickoff returns, with a long of 30.
• Penalties continue to kill any offensive momentum – false starts and holding, especially. Tyler Steen had a hold, Jordan Mailata also had one that negated a touchdown, and Cam Jurgens had one in overtime. The Eagles just can't stay ahead of the sticks with this many penalties hurting them.
• A.J. Brown (6-100) had his third straight 100-yard game, but he could've played much better. He couldn't catch a high pass that went off his hands and was intercepted – it wasn't a great throw, but it's a ball he should've caught – and though Cam Hart made an excellent breakup in the end zone on a fourth-quarter bomb from Hurts to Brown down the sideline, Brown had the ball in his hands and usually outmuscles the defender in that situation. The Eagles had to settle for a field goal to go up 19-16. A touchdown would've made the Chargers have to respond with a touchdown, which they hadn't done since their opening possession.
• Jalen Hurts clearly had a bad game. He was under pressure a lot, but had checkdowns open that he either didn't see or didn't target for whatever reason. Not all the picks were his fault, but enough were, especially the lousy throw that was picked by dropping lineman Da'Shawn Hand and the overtime pick. He's now thrown five interceptions in the past two games, and the Eagles have had at least one giveaway in four of their past five games. Their whole mantra is playing conservatively because they don't turn the ball over, but their recent sloppiness is throwing that game plan out the window.
• What's happened to Jordan Mailata? He used to be a top-three left tackle, but he hasn't played like it this year. It's not just the bad penalties. He got beat by Odafeh Oweh early in the game and allowed a sack. He's taken a major step back.
• Jake Elliott missed a 48-yard field goal before halftime that ended up being very costly. That's his third straight game with a miss. Since Week 7, he has missed five field goals and an extra point.
• Landon Dickerson left with what the team called a calf injury and was replaced by Brett Toth, which has become a repetitive theme throughout the season. The Pro Bowl left guard came back later, but the offensive line, again, wasn't elite like it's been.
• The Eagles' defense buckled in the fourth, obviously worn down from too many snaps and no Jalen Carter. Quinyon Mitchell committed a pass interference on 3rd-and-10 that let the Chargers get a fresh set of downs on their final drive, down by 3. On 3rd-and-4, Justin Herbert gutted out a 4-yard run, dragging Eagles defenders to the marker for another reset of downs.
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