PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Game in the balance, a decisive play to be made, only for a wildly off-target throw to happen that helped cost Philadelphia the game.
Don’t worry, Orion Kerkering. Nearly 2,800 miles to the east, the embattled Phillies reliever had some company in the errant throw department in one of the roughest nights in Philly sports history.
Jalen Hurts overthrew DeVonta Smith when the receiver was wide open with the chance for an easy 89-yard touchdown and the Eagles never recovered from the miscue in a 34-17 loss to the New York Giants.
Much like in the Phillies’ season-ending playoff loss to Los Angeles, there’s plenty of blame to go around beyond one flawed throw for the Eagles’ latest defeat.
Yes, the latest.
Just one week ago, the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles were undefeated and had won 20 times in their last 21 games. They’ve since lost Sunday to Denver and put up an embarrassing effort — especially on defense — against the 1-4 Giants. All the questions raised about why the Eagles had an off-kilter offense and concerns about first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo during a sluggish 4-0 start have proved valid the last two games.
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Just ask veteran offensive lineman Lane Johnson.
Saquon Barkley rushed for just 58 yards and has yet to come close to topping 100 yards in a game a year after he ran for more than 2,000 in a season. Hurts, Smith and fellow wide receiver A.J. Brown join Barkley as high-paid franchise stars all on pace for career-worst seasons.
Not even a private meeting earlier this week between Hurts, Barkley and Brown was enough for the brain trust to crack the code on the offensive struggles.
“The execution isn’t there,” Johnson said. “We get behind the chains, we get very predictable. We have a lot of season ahead of us. Confident with the guys in the room and how we work to get it fixed and make games not so hard on ourselves. Make it more fluid. I feel like we’ve been very stagnant offensively. We’ve really put the defense in a bind the last two weeks.”
Johnson added: “We gotta be able to keep the defense guessing, not be predictable. We have spurts, but there’s nothing consistent about we’re doing.”
Predictability isn’t good, especially when the offense seems as if it can no longer lean on Barkley to bust open 70-yard touchdown runs like he would a year ago, right?
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Well, predictability with another successful handoff to Barkley didn’t seem to adversely affect the Eagles last season.
“Last year, do you think we were predictable? Everyone knew we were running the ball and we still got it off,” Barkley said. “I also think we’ve got to get back to that attitude, to that mindset of not really giving a (care) what people try to do. It’s little things. We’re close. But to be honest, I’m tired of saying how close we are.”
That offense’s woes — and the criticism inside the locker room — cranks the heat on Patullo. It remains to be seen how much more time he gets to straighten out the offense before coach Nick Sirianni assumes a larger role in the play calling.
What’s working
The Eagles are at least open about what’s not working and can only hope their unhappiness inside the locker will spark a wake-up call with Patullo’s offense.
What needs help
Everything on offense. Hurts had a pass picked off early in the fourth quarter by Cor’Dale Flott, who returned it 68 yards to set up the Giants’ fifth touchdown. Hurts was a big part of the Eagles going 1 of 9 for third down. Barkley’s fumble with 6:50 left was the final nail in the defeat.
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Still, the earlier incompletion — days after Hurts overthrew an open Brown on what could have been a 61-yard touchdown — might have shifted the outcome.
The Eagles trailed by three early in the second half and had third-and-6 on their own 11. Smith beat Flott and was running uncovered down the field, but Hurts’ throw sailed a few yards over his head and set up the second of four Philadelphia punts.
Stock up
It’s hard to find even one standout performance in easily the Eagles’ worst all-around performance in more than a year.
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Stock down
Coaching. Sirianni seemed to have the Eagles unprepared on the short week and predictable Patullo might be a roadblock the Eagles can’t hurdle. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, widely praised for his scheme that shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, didn’t have an answer for Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. Skattebo ran for three touchdowns, Dart had one rushing and another passing for the Giants.
Injuries
CB Quinyon Mitchell left in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return … DT Jalen Carter was inactive with a heel injury that popped up on the practice participation report Wednesday.
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Key stat
0 for 3 — Throw in the Flyers’ season-opening loss, and all three Philly sports teams playing lost on the same night.
Sound familiar?
On Oct. 16, 1983, the Flyers fell to the Rangers, the Eagles lost to Dallas and the Phillies ended their season with a Game 5 loss to Baltimore in the World Series.
Next steps
The Eagles need to go back to the drawing board — or at least watch a lot of game film from last season — before they hit the road for an Oct. 19 game at Minnesota.
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“We’ll look at everything to see what we’re doing well and treat this like a bye week here this weekend,” Sirianni said. “And you know, just get up and keep fighting. Got a lot of the things to fix. Been here before. Let’s
