Jalen Hurts blew it, but there was plenty of fault from other Eagles in the loss to the Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jalen Hurts blew it.

There’s no other way to describe the way the Eagles handed the New York Jets a 20-14 comeback victory on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

All Hurts had to do was not throw an interception. Heave the ball away. Scramble. Heck, even take a sack. Do anything other than turn the ball over. But that’s exactly what the quarterback did with the Eagles ahead, 14-12, with just under two minutes left.

“I had an opportunity and I didn’t do my job on the play,” Hurts said. “I don’t think I made the correct read on it. But it happens. It’s an opportunity for us to learn from it and grow.”

» READ MORE: Eagles grades for their loss to the Jets: Jalen Hurts finishes with a brutal fourth quarter

Hurts’ pass traveled directly into the waiting arms of safety Tony Adams, who returned the interception 45 yards down to the 8-yard line. The Eagles allowed the Jets to run in for the touchdown, leaving their quarterback one minute and 46 seconds — plus two timeouts — to redeem himself.

But Hurts couldn’t muster the first under-two-minute game-winning drive of his four-year career. The offense went four-and-out and the Eagles suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 5-1.

As nightmarish as the ending was for Hurts, it would be erroneous to pin the loss solely on the quarterback. He might have been the lone player on offense without an obvious mistake through the first three-plus quarters.

There were two dropped passes from DeVonta Smith, an interception that deflected out of Dallas Goedert’s hands, a D’Andre Swift fumble, and all kinds of pressure after right tackle Lane Johnson left with an ankle injury in the first quarter. Despite all that, Hurts persevered and made impressive throws and scrambles.

» READ MORE: Source: Eagles tackle Lane Johnson believed to have suffered high ankle sprain

Through the first three quarters, he completed 23 of 32 passes (72 percent) for 237 yards and a touchdown and rushed five times for 32 yards and a score. But the Eagles entered the final frame with only a two-point cushion.

“You can blame whoever you want to blame, but in this locker room it was on all three phases,” Eagles receiver A.J. Brown said. “That’s up for whoever else who they want to blame, but in this locker room we’re going to hold each other accountable.

“We’re not pointing fingers and say, ‘It’s your fault.’”

Hurts’ fourth quarter wasn’t all his fault. His second interception came when Johnson’s replacement, Jack Driscoll, couldn’t withstand Jermaine Johnson’s edge rush and Hurts’ arm was hit as he threw.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ loss to the Jets exacts a heavy toll to an already banged-up team

He also guided the Eagles to a 37-yard field goal attempt that would have expanded the lead to five points midway through the fourth. But the normally-reliable Jake Elliott was wide right.

Hurts’ numbers, though, reflect his and the Eagles’ continued fourth-quarter struggles this season. He completed just 5 of 13 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions and a sack. The final pick was only the coup de grace.

“I know Jalen’s going to want that play back, obviously,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “I thought that was pretty much the only turnover that was on him. We need that back in that critical time.”

Hurts’ made a poor decision, but he also unnecessarily backpedaled in the pocket before throwing. There was a lot of leaving the pocket — some of it forced, but also some of it the result of happy feet.

Not only was Lane Johnson missing on the right flank, but also Sua Opeta started his second straight game at right guard in place of the injured Cam Jurgens. So Hurts’ tentativeness was partially understandable.

But with Jurgens out for at least another two games, and Lane Johnson likely to be sidelined for an extended period with what is believed to be a high ankle sprain, Hurts will need to adjust. He’s not alone.

» READ MORE: The Eagles’ loss to the Jets, and the way it happened, felt like more than just a hiccup. | Mike Sielski

The Eagles were unlikely to win all 17 games, but they’ve hit a potential impasse with the 5-1 Dolphins in Philly next week and the toughest stretch of the season still to come.

“I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘We’ve been here before,’ but we have,” Hurts said. “But I think it’s just a matter of how we respond. It starts with me and how I lead that charge. … It’s a tough one, for sure, but it’s an opportunity for us to grow.

“And these moments build a ton of character.”

The Eagles’ four turnovers equaled the number they had in losses to the Commanders and Cowboys last season. But their minus-4 differential was worse than it was in both cases: minus-2 in the former and minus-3 in the latter.

Hurts’ seven interceptions through six games this season haven’t been all on his shoulders, but he already has one more than he had in 15 games last season. He got off to a slow start in the first three outings, but improved in wins over the Commanders and Rams the next two weeks.

» READ MORE: Snatched away: 4 turnovers lead to the Eagles’ first loss of the season

It seemed as if Hurts and new offensive coordinator Brian Johnson just needed some time to build chemistry. But Johnson’s play calling, particularly in the red zone, has been inconsistent. The Eagles went 2 of 3 inside the 20 vs. the Jets, but overall they’re 10 of 22 (45 percent) this season.

In 2022, they ranked third in the NFL at 68 percent.

It would be a reach to suggest that Brian Johnson was partly responsible for his quarterback falling short on the last drive. Hurts led the Eagles to comeback wins and has been credited with five game-winning drives in his career — the two most impressive at the Panthers in 2021 and the Colts in 2022.

In both cases, the Eagles needed touchdowns. But both drives started well outside the final two minutes. Hurts has yet to lead the offense down the field in last-minute situations that normally require only passing.

He’s only had so many opportunities, though. He probably would have pulled off a rally at this very stadium two years ago vs. the Giants had Jalen Reagor not dropped two passes. But given the chance again at MetLife, he couldn’t finish.

“Lack of execution, lack of execution,” Hurts said of the last drive that included three incomplete passes. “Usually my word for that.”

But it’ll be the interception on the previous series that most will remember about this loss. Some may suggest that Sirianni should have run the ball on third-and-9 at the Eagles 46. The Jets had run out of timeouts and would have had to travel a fair distance with about 1:05 left after a punt.

They only needed three points, though, and field goals were the one way they managed to score points.

But the Eagles had a chance to end the game with one completed pass. Sirianni said the play had been successful earlier in the drive when Hurts hit Goedert for 11 yards on third-and-7.

“We thought if we got the first down there in that particular case the game was over,” Sirianni said. “The worst thing that could happen, happened.”

Hurts allowed it. Based on his past, he won’t let it happen again.