Eagles losing skid swells to three games with turnover-laden OT loss at Chargers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — On Monday night, the Hollywood lights were too bright for Jalen Hurts.

The fifth-year starting quarterback tossed a single-game career-high four interceptions in the Eagles’ 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Backup safety Tony Jefferson called game, picking off Hurts near the end zone on a pass intended for Jahan Dotson.

The game went to overtime after Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker tied the game, 19-19, with eight seconds remaining in regulation. The Eagles won the toss, and the Chargers had the first possession. Vic Fangio’s defense got gashed on the ground, but limited the Chargers to a field goal, giving the offense a chance to win the game on a touchdown.

On the first play of the drive, Justin Herbert kept the ball and rushed right for a 12-yard gain punctuated by a stiff-arm on Reed Blankenship with his injured left hand. Omarion Hampton followed it up with an 18-yard run to the same side.

Ultimately, the Chargers were forced to settle for a 54-yard field goal.

» READ MORE: Grading the Eagles' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers and the Eagles scored one touchdown apiece. Los Angeles scored on its opening drive on a 4-yard pass to Hampton, while Saquon Barkley notched a 52-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter off a Tush Push fake.

Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ third straight loss:

Entering Monday, Hurts had thrown two interceptions all season. He threw four against the Chargers and also fumbled the ball away as he went 21-of-40 for 240 yards (31.2 quarterback rating).

» READ MORE: Forget 2023. The Eagles are in bigger trouble now after their loss to the Chargers.

No play better encapsulated Hurts’ struggles than his second-quarter interception and the chaos that ensued. On third-and-2, with the Eagles in the red zone for the first time that evening, Hurts dropped back out of an empty set. He tried to fit the ball into a tight window over the middle for A.J. Brown, but Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand was lurking underneath and made the interception.

Will Shipley tried to save the day, punching the ball out of Hand’s hands. Hurts grabbed the loose, bouncing ball, but Chargers defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell then knocked it free from the quarterback’s grasp. Linebacker Troy Dye fell on the ball at the Chargers’ 43, bringing the wonky play to an end.

Hurts turned the ball over a third time on the ensuing drive. On second-and-10 from the Eagles’ 28, Hurts attempted a pass for DeVonta Smith, but cornerback Donte Jackson undercut the pass and picked it off.

The third interception came halfway through the fourth quarter on a pass over the middle intended for Brown. The ball bounced off Brown’s hands and into cornerback Cam Hart’s.

Hurts nearly had two more interceptions. On the first play of the second quarter, Hurts overthrew Jahan Dotson in the slot on third-and-4 from the Eagles’ 15-yard line. His pass nearly was intercepted by safety RJ Mickens, but the ball hit the turf before he corralled it, making it an incomplete pass.

He also missed Brown late in the fourth quarter as the Eagles attempted to break the 16-16 tie. Hurts was hit by outside linebacker Khalil Mack as he tried to fit a pass into a tight window. Jackson got a hand on the ball, forcing the Eagles to punt.

Hurts wasn’t the only player who faltered. Drops plagued the Eagles receivers in critical moments. With just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Brown dropped a would-be 26-yard touchdown pass. On the following play, Hurts got the ball out to Smith while being blitzed, but the wide receiver failed to control it.

The Chargers ultimately had just six points to show for Hurts’ turnovers.

The defense, especially Nakobe Dean, tightened up after conceding a touchdown on the Chargers’ opening drive that gave them a 7-0 lead. Dean failed to pick up Chargers running back Kimani Vidal on a dump-off pass, a desperation play that turned into a 60-yard gain.

But Dean was one of the keys to the Eagles’ ability to generate pressure up front in the absence of Jalen Carter. On the Chargers series following Hurts’ second interception, Dean blitzed the A gap, and Hampton didn’t hold up in pass protection.

Dean took down Herbert and knocked the ball out in the process. Byron Young fell on top of the loose ball, ensuring that the Chargers wouldn’t capitalize on the interception.

The defensive line also got pressure on Herbert by taking advantage of a weak offensive line. On third-and-4 from the Chargers’ 37, Jaelan Phillips pushed third-string right tackle Bobby Hart back and managed to get a hand on Herbert’s right arm as he launched a pass for tight end Oronde Gadsden. But the ball fluttered in the air short of its intended target, allowing Adoree’ Jackson to leap up and snag it.

Zack Baun also got a piece of Herbert when he blitzed the A gap late in the third quarter, breezing past Hampton for a sack split with Jordan Davis on second-and-13.

On the third interception, the Eagles defense limited the Chargers to a 31-yard field goal, which tied the game, 16-16. Once again, the Eagles’ defensive front swarmed Herbert on the third-and-3 drop back beforehand, forcing the quarterback to throw the ball away.

Davis earned a full sack late in the fourth quarter as the Chargers sought to break the tie. He cleaned up the initial pressure generated by Nolan Smith that forced Herbert to step up in the pocket on third down.

It’s been a tough second half of the season for Jake Elliott, the Eagles’ ninth-year kicker. In his last six games entering Monday, he missed four field goal attempts and an extra point.

His struggles continued against the Chargers. At the end of the first half, Elliott missed a 48-yarder wide left. The Eagles trailed, 10-6, at halftime.

Elliott wasn’t the only special teams player who made mistakes. On the Chargers’ 36-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, Moro Ojomo used leverage to boost himself on the back of left tackle Jamaree Salyer, earning Ojomo an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The play gave the Chargers a fresh set of downs from their own 9-yard line.

Luckily for Ojomo, the Eagles defense held up in the red zone again. Young sacked Herbert on second down, and the Chargers quarterback threw an incomplete pass for Vidal on third. Los Angeles settled for a field goal again for a 13-6 lead late in the third quarter.

Elliott attempted to make up for his miss late in the third quarter. The Eagles had sputtered at the Chargers’ 36, partially thanks to Barkley’s shotgun run for a loss of four yards on second-and-10. This time, Elliott made the 54-yard field goal, cutting the Chargers’ lead to 13-9.

Late in the second quarter, Landon Dickerson exited the game with a calf injury. Brett Toth took over for him at left guard.

However, Dickerson returned late in the third quarter with the Eagles down, 13-9.