Jalen Hurts, Eagles Questioned by NFL Fans Despite Snapping Losing Streak vs. Giants

It wasn’t easy, but Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles broke their three-game losing streak with a 33-25 home win over the New York Giants on Christmas Day.

If you’re an Eagles fan, there’s plenty of reason to still be concerned though.

Philadelphia looked as if it was running away with this one after taking a 20-3 halftime lead. However, a special teams gaffe led to a Boston Scott fumble on the opening second-half kickoff. The Giants responded with a Saquon Barkley rushing touchdown.

The Eagles looked to have regained control of the game later in the third quarter and were in field goal range. But Hurts threw an interception after tight end Dallas Goedert fell down, leading to Adoree Jackson returning the pick for a score. After the two-point conversion, the Giants trailed just 20-18.

Hurts stepped up in that moment, however, by leading the Eagles on an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by a D’Andre Swift score. That drive included a 32-yard pass on 3rd-and-20 from Hurts to A.J. Brown.

Undeterred, the Giants struck back in just two plays after Tyrod Taylor, who took over for a benched Tommy DeVito at halftime, found Darius Slayton for a 69-yard touchdown strike. The PAT made it 30-25.

Swift took over from there with 43 rushing yards on the next drive as Philadelphia tried to bleed out the clock. The Eagles could not, but Jake Elliott’s fourth field goal put the team up 33-25 with 1:10 remaining.

Big Blue then simply ran out of time. A few Taylor passes to Darren Waller got the team down to the Eagles’ 26-yard line with seconds remaining, but a desperation heave to the end zone was intercepted.

A win is a win, but this one didn’t exactly inspire confidence with the playoffs looming. Philadelphia carries Super Bowl expectations after winning an NFC title, but its last three weeks include a 42-19 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a 33-13 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys, a 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and now a close win over a five-win Giants team.

NFL fans noted that both Hurts and the defense had some issues in this one, capping a four-week stretch that has seen the Eagles look their worst in a few years.

Philadelphia will look for a stronger performance Sunday when it visits the Arizona Cardinals and old friend and head coach Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles’ ex-defensive coordinator.