Eagles in danger of another late-season collapse after latest unraveling

Eagles in danger of another late-season collapse after latest unraveling

INGLEWOOD, CA — Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith sat quietly next to each other in a somber postgame locker room after a22-19 overtime lossto theLos Angeles Chargers.

ThePhiladelphia Eagleshardly resemble the team that won Super Bowl 59 just 10 months ago. A third consecutive loss dropped Philadelphia to 8-5.

"We have won a lot of football games. Right now, we've lost three in a row,"Eaglescoach Nick Sirianni said. "I'm confident in the coaches that we have, the players that we have, the owner that we have, the front office that we have. We're built to overcome, and we know how to do that."

Sirianni confirmed reports that he had taken more of a hands-on approach with the Eagles offense in preparation for Monday night.

<p style=Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Week 1: The New England Patriots' Robert Spillane (14) and Christian Elliss (53) tackle Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Raiders won the game, 20-13. Week 1: New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) fumbles the ball on a tackle by Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. It was a rough Giants debut for Wilson (17 of 37 passing for 168 yards) as the Commanders won the game, 21-6. Week 1: Fireworks go off before the NFL Kickoff Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles opened the season with a 24-20 victory over their longtime NFC East rivals.

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Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18)makes a catch for a touchdownagainst the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.

Saquon Barkley did top 100 rushing yards for the second time this season, but the offense was once again mostly lethargic. It's tough to glean confidence from this version of the Eagles' offense.

The Eagles haven't scored more than 21 points in a game since October. Philadelphia came into Week 14 with the 23rd-ranked passing attack and 22nd-ranked rushing offense in the league.

Hurts tossed a career-worst four interceptions versus the Chargers andproduced a nightmare five total turnoversin the overtime defeat.

"I have to find ways to lead our team to victories," Hurts said. "That's not something that's foreign to us. We are just not able to do it at the moment. That starts with me and how I play, how I lead and how I go out there and do my job. When I look at it at any point, it's about how I respond to a test. And what level of resilience and resolve I have to push forward and figure things out."

The Eagles are slightly in front of the Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1) forthe NFC East leadwith four regular-season games remaining. The Eagles' three-game losing streak is reminiscent of the team's 2023 collapse, during which they lost five of their last six regular-season games and made a quick exit in the postseason.

Yet, the silver lining is this Eagles club, despite some injuries, brought back 10 offensive starters from the Super Bowl-winning squad. Standout tackle Lane Johnson is expected to return this season. Three of their next four opponents have losing records. They control their own destiny.

"You always have to look inward and be honest with yourself, first and foremost. Take accountability and learn to fix it as quickly as possible," Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said. "That's what we plan to do. That's what I plan to do."

Brown is correct. The Eagles' offense must "quickly" find a way to turn things around or else the season will expire quickly akin to the 2023 squad.

"A game like that definitely stings. But we can use this to either start pointing fingers and get upset, or we can make sure that doesn't break us and we come together and we just keep rolling. And I think we're going to take that side of it," Barkley said. "Everything that we want is still in front of us. That's the beauty of football. That's the beauty of having success early in the season. And now we got to get things rolling."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X@TheTylerDragon.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Eagles in danger of another late-season collapse after latest setback

 

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