Eagles’ Nick Sirianni breaks down final play, Jalen Reagor’s drop, plus Jalen Hurts’ status TBD vs. Jets

After reviewing the tape, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni had several criticisms of the team’s final play in its defeat to the New York Giants.

With the Eagles trailing by a single possession, they faced fourth down from New York’s 27. Quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambled before throwing downfield to an open Jalen Reagor, who failed to haul in the pass. Moments before the play, rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith approached Sirianni on the sideline and begged for him to get him the ball.

Hurts did not throw to Smith. Reagor dropped the football. The Eagles lost, 13-7.

Let the first-year coach explain.

“We ran a shallow cross play where DeVonta was the first read,” Sirianni said. “DeVonta is 1A and Dallas Goedert is 1B. The defense they played eliminated the 1B and it put it onto DeVonta. We didn’t do a great job executing the route discipline on that play with DeVonta and Quez [Watkins]. It turned into a scramble and we got an open look.

“Hurts made a good throw and we want to be able to finish that play off. No one wants to make that play more than Reagor. It never comes down to one play.”

On the final drive, Reagor had multiple drops, while Smith — the team’s best offensive playmaker — wasn’t targeted once. Reagor caught just two passes on seven targets for 31 yards. Smith and Goedert’s combined targets matched Reagor’s seven.

Hurts also had one of the worst performances of his young career. He threw three interceptions with zero touchdowns and finished with a quarterback rating of 17.5.

“The guy who touches the ball every time is the quarterback,” Sirianni said. “[We need] him executing at a high level. It’s not good enough. We’re not where we want to be in that part of our game. We’re working like crazy to get better at that.

“I think our play action game has been able to be successful. But when teams know we’re dropping back to pass, that’s where we’ve struggled. That’s an emphasis we know we have to get better at.”

» READ MORE: What we learned from the Eagles-Giants: When it comes to Jalen Reagor, nothing new

Sirianni provided a further assessment of Reagor, a wideout whose performance has been underwhelming since he was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In 23 games, Reagor has produced 56 catches for 597 yards and just three touchdowns.

His numbers pale in comparison to other receivers taken in last year’s draft (see: Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, Michael Pittman, Chase Claypool, and Tee Higgins, among others).

“I do believe that Jalen Reagor is working himself, he works extremely hard in practice,” Sirianni said of the second-year receiver. “When he had those opportunities yesterday, we all want him to make that play. What you want out of every player is consistency. What we saw is he wasn’t consistent enough throughout the game. Consistency is when you’re making the next step in your development.

“He’s shown he has playmaking ability. He’s shown he’s made big time plays. You just want to see that more consistently.”

Pressed further if he has ever considered benching Reagor, Sirianni replied: “I’m comfortable with the roles the [receivers] are in right now. I don’t think that’s in the best interest of the team. Jalen Reagor gives us the best chance to win.”

Hurts rolled his left ankle when he was sacked in the second half. Hurts appeared to be in a noticeable amount of discomfort and had his ankle taped up on the sideline between drives. He later reentered the game and didn’t miss a snap.

However, the second-year quarterback woke up Monday feeling discomfort in the his ankle, according to Sirianni. Hurts’ status for Sunday’s game against the Jets is to be determined as the team waits to gather more information ahead of its first practice Wednesday. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew has yet to start a game for the Eagles after he was acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars at the beginning of the season.

“We’re hopeful,” Sirianni said of Hurts.

Sirianni revealed offensive lineman Jack Driscoll is expected to be placed on injured reserve. Driscoll suffered a high ankle sprain during the loss, and he was replaced by backup Nate Herbig. Sirianni declined to provide an update on fellow offensive lineman Brandon Brooks, who suffered a pec strain in the season opener. Driscoll had been playing at Brooks’ regular spot at right guard.

Running back Miles Sanders also suffered an ankle injury, but he is headed in the right direction, Sirianni said. Sanders briefly reappeared after sustaining his injury before exiting the game. In a combined effort, Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell replaced Sanders in the fourth quarter.