Jason Kelce wants the Eagles to ditch their ‘hokey’ positivity rabbit, and more from ‘New Heights’
“To be honest, I don’t really like the rabbit,” Kelce said of the giant inflatable “vibes” bunny that recently appeared in the locker room.
As the Eagles’ losing streak stretched to three games, Jason Kelce chronicled what he called a “comedy of turnovers” on the latest episode of New Heights.
But Kelce found little to laugh about when it came to the heartbreak of a 22-19 overtime loss to the Chargers on Monday night. He also pointed to what he believes hurt the Eagles most: the lack of an offensive identity — and maybe a bunny.
Here’s what you may have missed from the podcast …
The not-so-positive rabbit
Last week, the Eagles debuted a holiday locker room decoration: an inflatable “positivity rabbit.”
After NBC Sports Philadelphia reporter Ashlyn Sullivan attributed the rabbit to the Birds’ offensive line, podcast co-host Travis Kelce asked the former Eagles center if it had mysteriously appeared in the locker room before.
Jason Kelce replied that this was a first for the Eagles — and he was not a fan.
“There was a lot of negativity in Philadelphia before the game for an 8-4 team that’s first in their division and certainly looking like they’re going to be in the playoffs,” Kelce said. “I think the team was trying to make a statement that we’re all in on this together.
“To be honest, I don’t really like the rabbit. It’s a little hokey. … It didn’t work. You have to ditch the rabbit.”
» READ MORE: A.J. Brown is ‘fine,’ Zach Ertz in tears, Nick Sirianni’s glory days, and more ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights
A ‘gut-wrenching’ ending
The Eagles were on the precipice of a comeback win in overtime against the Chargers. And not even an inflatable bunny could save them, as quarterback Jalen Hurts threw an interception in field-goal range that handed the Birds another preventable loss.
Jason Kelce shared the fans’ disappointment in the costly turnover.
“It was just a very frustrating game that ended in a very frustrating fashion,” he said. “We’re putting together a great drive, playing outstanding ball in overtime, driving the length of the field, and then the interception to lose.
“It was just a gut-wrenching way to end that one. We needed to get some momentum back, and unfortunately, a very sloppy game again left the Eagles in another week of frustration.”
Offense searches for answers
Much of the blame for the Eagles’ latest loss landed on Hurts, who committed an uncharacteristic five turnovers.
“It was a horrendous game of ball security,” Kelce said. “I know the last couple weeks have been rough for [Hurts]. This is one of the things he’s done well his whole career, taking care of the football. It’s unfortunately two out-of-character games from him and our team that have really cost us.”
» READ MORE: Is ‘atrocious’ Jalen Hurts to blame? Is more Saquon Barkley the answer for Eagles? Here’s what they’re saying.
Kelce also shifted the criticism away from Hurts alone, despite the quarterback’s five turnovers, including the second-quarter play in which he threw an interception, recovered a fumble, then lost a fumble himself. Rather than a lack of talent, Kelce suggested the Birds offense is missing the strong team identity that helped it succeed in past years.
“This offense has been so stagnant and struggled to get anything going the last couple weeks. … Offensively, [the Eagles] are looking for who they are,” Kelce said. “They’re looking for that identity. There’s so many good pieces … Throughout Jalen’s tenure, what lends itself to the best for this team is that we’ve got to attack the line of scrimmage with [Saquon Barkley], one of the best running backs in the game, and then take our shots down the field.”
If the Eagles are still searching for an identity with just four games left in the season, they’re running out of time to find it.