Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni moved quickly Wednesday to end growing speculation surrounding Jalen Hurts' job security, calling talk of a potential quarterback change “ridiculous” despite his team's three-game losing streak and the sudden decline in form of their franchise star.
Hurts committed five turnovers – four interceptions and one loss – in Monday night loss 22-19 to the Los Angeles Chargers in one of the worst performances of his career. The final mistake, an interception near the goal line in overtime, sealed another crushing loss for an Eagles team that had averaged just 16 points over its last five games. The 8-5 Eagles haven't won since Nov. 10.
Hurts' performance comes with several unfavorable stats: the most tackles by an Eagles player since tracking began in 1978 and the first four-interception game by a Philadelphia quarterback since Michael Vick in 2012.
The struggle did not go unnoticed. There were boos during the Eagles' Black Friday home loss to Chicago while traveling fans again vented their frustrations in Los Angeles. With Hurts now having six interceptions on the season—already more than last year—the quarterback's decline has opened up a conversation that once seemed unthinkable less than a year earlier. his Super Bowl MVP performance.
Sirianni, however, isn't thinking about benching his quarterback.
“I know every time I step on the field with Jalen Hurts as our quarterback, we have a chance to win the game,” he said. during his weekly speech on Philadelphia Sports Radio Network 94 WIP. “And it's proven. We've won a lot of football games. We never come in and call something. It's a team game. You win together as a team. You lose together as a team.”
Hurts' stats continue to reflect that larger truth: a 54-25 regular season record, six wins in nine playoff games and multiple Super Bowl appearances. His teammates backed the coach's stance, with Saquon Barkley saying he had “full confidence” in Hurts leading the offense in overtime despite Monday's mistakes.
The options behind Hurts do little to strengthen the case for change. Tanner McKee, a 2023 sixth-round draft pick, has made one career start; Sam Howell, acquired from Washington, remains the developmental backup. While Mackey impressed in limited action late last season, neither quarterback is viewed internally as a threat to Hurts' role.
Sirianni pointed to “a lot of good things on offense” against the Chargers and insisted the group is “inspired” heading into Sunday's home game against the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders, even despite the Chargers' injuries. their epic collapse of 2023 threaten to reappear.
“I come out of this game encouraged, knowing that we have some ground to clean up… Nobody's pushing, everyone's just thinking: How can we put ourselves in the best position to win this game and play our best game in this game?”
