The Philadelphia Eagles had yet another ugly game on offense in Monday night's 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but one renowned NFL analyst suggests play-calling wasn't to blame in crunch time.
Jalen Hurts had thrown three interceptions before Philadelphia's final possession. Nevertheless, the Eagles forced the Chargers to kick a field goal in OT, providing Hurts and Co. the chance to drive down for a game-winning touchdown.
Hurts had converted a third-and-16 with a 28-yard completion to DeVonta Smith, and drew the Bolts offsides on a fourth-and-4 to keep hope alive. Unfortunately, an apparent misread by Hurts led to a game-ending interception.
With a glimpse into the highlight-reel play by Chargers defenders Cam Hart and Tony Jefferson, combined with the words of ESPN's Ryan Clark, we get clearer insight into the decisive play.
Ryan Clark defends Eagles OC Kevin Patullo, insisting Jalen Hurts made wrong read on game-ending INT
Superstar running back Saquon Barkley ripped off a long run of 52 yards for the Eagles' struggling rushing attack in Week 14, and racked up 70 yards on his other 19 carries. The real downfall for Philly was, once again, the Hurts-led passing attack.
Not that players like wideout A.J. Brown and his multiple drops were blameless for Hurts' woeful stat line of 21 completions on 40 attempts. Brown even defended Hurts after the game despite their recent tension and lacking connection.
Hurts did not play well in his own right overall, though, and the final interception by Jefferson was more proof of that.
Here's what Ryan Clark had to say on ESPN's postgame show about that last play, which at least in that particular instance absolved the oft-criticized Patullo:
"This actually was a good call by Kevin Patullo that was read wrong by Jalen Hurts. [...] What Jalen Hurts sees is that Cam Hart is the cloud corner, and he believes that he's going to cover Dallas Goedert. What he's doing is hinging, he's caddy corner. So now he could break down on a low throw, or he can break back to get underneath Jahan Dotson on this corner throw, which is gonna allow him to tip the football and a finish by Tony Jefferson. [...] You can see that Jalen Hurts feels like he makes the right decision, Cam Hart falls off to the corner, tips the ball, and then Johnny on the spot is Tony Jefferson."
When the post-snap picture gets a little muddy for Hurts, he tends to either hesitate and throw late, not make it through his progressions to an open receiver, or bail himself out with his running ability.
None of the above happened here. To be fair, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is one of the best in the business at disguising coverages. Hart split the difference between Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert and wideout Jahan Dotson, made a heads-up play to fall off the former, and got in Hurts' passing lane to tip the ball right into Jefferson's waiting arms.
It's a testament to the strength and depth of the Eagles' roster that they still had a chance to win on the road against a quality opponent in spite of Hurts' four INTs and a lost fumble. It's also causing a lot of frustration among the Philly faithful.
Surely benching a Super Bowl MVP quarterback isn't the answer. Feels like an irrational, knee-jerk panic move. That said, I, as a neutral observer, and many diehard Eagles supporters alike have wondered for a while whether the passing game would get an upgrade with a more pure pocket distributor like Tanner McKee in the lineup.
Quarterbacks shoulder so much blame when things go sideways. There's no getting around the fact that Hurts' numbers are ugly of late, as Philly is in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
#Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ passing numbers over the last five games:
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 9, 2025
96 of 167 passing (57.5 pct.) for 1,077 yards (6.5 per attempt), 4 TDs, 5 INTs, 72.4 rating.
Hurts’ numbers over the first eight games:
151 of 215 passing (70.2) for 1,677 yards (7.8), 15 TDs, 1 INT, 114.4.
Bleak as the outlook is right now, this is still an 8-5 team with an elite defense. The Eagles have studs everywhere at the skill positions, too. It shouldn't take as drastic an adjustment as angry fans might believe to trend back in the right direction in short order.
Read more: Nick Sirianni sure doesn't sound like he'll give Eagles' Kevin Patullo space
Patience with Hurts is understandably wearing thin, though — and that's taking into account the unusual brand of impatience Philadelphia sports fans have as is.