Jalen Hurts shoulders blame for Philadelphia Eagles’ loss to Buccaneers: ‘I need to play better’

Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles had a chance to match up Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4. Despite the poor play and lack of execution, it was a two possession game.

Hurts and the Eagles were driving in Tampa Bay’s red zone late in the third quarter, but then an all-too-familiar play occurred.

When Hurts dropped back for a first-and-10 pass from the Buccaneers’ 19-yard line, he was sacked by Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David. The game actually sealed the game Buccaneers defeated Eagles 33-16 As the Birds were unable to get into the Tampa Bay zone for the remainder of the game.

“I need to play better overall, I need to play better,” Hurts said. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities to lead the offense and really play complementary ball, and that starts with me on that side of the ball.”

The pain started without coming out A.J. Brown And DeVonta Smith and starting right tackle Lane Johnson against the Bucs. Brown is still dealing with a hamstring injury, while Johnson and Smith suffered concussions.

But Hurts took responsibility for his performance despite not having the best weapons and one of the best tackles in football.

“I didn’t play well enough, that’s what it comes down to,” Hurts said. “We had our opportunities. We spent a lot of time this week taking advantage of this game, what we had and the players we had a lot of confidence in. Some we took advantage of, some we didn’t. In the end, it starts with me.”

Hurts completed 18 of his 30 passes for 158 yards and accompanied his steal with a touchdown pass to veteran wide receiver Parris Campbell. He also rushed for 20 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.

Hurts’ performance on Sunday was similar to his other games against the Buccaneers since becoming Philadelphia’s starting quarterback.

Hurts has played five times with the Buccaneers during his career, including the playoffs, and head coach Todd Bowles has the Eagles’ best quarterback. In those five games, Hurts is 1-4 and has five interceptions for a 59% completion percentage.

Turnovers have been an issue for Hurts and Philadelphia’s offense through four weeks. He has been stripped of the ball seven times, has committed a turnover in every game so far and has led the league in turnovers since the start of the 2023 season.

Three of Hurt’s seven carries this season have also come in the red zone, and Philadelphia has lost the turnover battle in every game so far in the 2024 season.

“There’s a lot of things that go into this,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “It could be the call we make, it could be the guard of the running back or the offensive lineman, it could be someone who can’t win on the field, they can hold it for too long, there are so many things. But at the end of the day, it’s a team game and that’s all of our responsibility.”