The debate over whether Jalen Hurts belongs in the same stratosphere as Patrick Mahomes may have officially ended on Monday night-and not in the Eagles’ favor.
While Mahomes is known for turning broken plays into magic, Hurts managed to achieve the opposite against the Los Angeles Chargers, performing a “double turnover” that proved his detractors right and highlighted the massive gap between a great quarterback and a legendary one.
The defining moment of the Eagles’ 22-19 overtime loss came midway through the second quarter. Hurts threw a pass intended for A.J. Brown that was intercepted by defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand.
Chaos ensued when Hand fumbled the return, and for a split second, it looked like Hurts would play the hero by recovering the loose ball. Instead, disaster struck: immediately upon being tackled, Hurts fumbled the ball right back, allowing linebacker Troy Dye to recover for Los Angeles.
The lowest point in Jalen Hurts’ career
It was a sequence of errors that encapsulated a nightmare first half, where the Super Bowl 59 MVP turned the ball over three times. The blunder led directly to a Cameron Dicker field goal, contributing to a hole the Eagles could never fully climb out of.
Hurts finished the night with a career-worst stat line: 21 of 40 passing for 240 yards, zero touchdowns, and a staggering four interceptions.
The loss was a squandered opportunity for Philadelphia. With the 6-6-1 Dallas Cowboys losing on Thursday, a win would have pushed the Eagles closer to securing the NFC East and clinching a fifth straight winning season. Instead, the offense sputtered in a kicking duel.
Cameron Dicker played the hero for Los Angeles, nailing five field goals, including a 54-yard game-winner in overtime. Eagles kicker Jake Elliott did his part with four field goals of his own, but the lack of end-zone execution proved fatal.
Hurts and Brown fractured the Eagles’ locker room
Compounding the on-field misery are reports of friction behind the scenes. Sources suggest things have gotten “ugly” between Hurts and star receiver A.J. Brown, with the two reportedly not seeing eye to eye. With the Super Bowl title defense already looking shaky, the internal discord could derail the season entirely.
Even with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert battling injury and struggling significantly (12 of 26 for 139 yards), the Eagles failed to capitalize.
Hurts entered the game with solid passing numbers for the season-19 touchdowns and just two interceptions-but his four-pick meltdown on national television has reignited doubts about whether he can truly lead this team back to the mountaintop.
