The Philadelphia Eagles seem to operate in a constant state of turmoil, but there could be a simple solution to their internal woes this week. They play the Las Vegas Raiders, who are basically every good team’s “get right” game going down the stretch, and the Raiders could be the answer to what happened to the Eagles in their loss on Monday night to the Los Angeles Chargers.
To put it simply, Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts imploded, throwing four interceptions in the Eagles 22-19 debacle. The Eagles now have a three-game losing streak, so the Raider represent a welcome opportunity to right the ship.
“I stand before you today saying, I take a lot of pride in the things I can control,” Hurts said in a piece written by Zach Berman of The Athletic that covered the quarterback’s first public comments since Monday’s loss. “At the end of the day, that’s where it’ll always begin and end in the game. I gotta do it.”
Doing it against the Raiders shouldn’t be all that hard. The Denver Broncos rolled over the Raiders from start to finish last week, using a power game that mixed short passing with the ground game that’s right in Philly’s wheelhouse.
Part of Hurts’ issues stem from the fact that he wins games without providing top-tier production. He’s ranked 21st EPA/dropback, according to Herman, and his production as a runner has slowed as well. The Eagles aren’t scoring touchdowns right now, so finishing drives will be a priority on Sunday.
There’s also the turmoil factor. Diva receiver A.J. Brown is constantly nipping at Hurts’ heels about getting more deep balls thrown his way, and coach Nick Sirianni has been more involved in the play calling recently. Philly fans aren’t the friendliest bunch, either, so there’s a lot on the quarterback’s plate.
But Hurts will be going up against a backup this week. Raiders quarterback Geno Smith is out with a shoulder injury after getting battered and bruised all season, so Kenny Pickett will step up against the Eagles.
Pickett posted some numbers against Denver last week, but don’t be fooled. He entered the game with the Raiders down 24-7, so the touchdown pass he threw happened during what was basically garbage time.
As easy as this game should be for the Eagles, it also represents a bit of a barometer. Things will get ugly in Philadelphia if they let the Raiders hang around, and it will be interesting to see if the Eagles can start to pull off the same kind of turnaround that got them to the Super Bowl last season.