What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 15 vs. the Raiders

The positivity bunny couldn’t save the Eagles offense on Monday night if it tried.

Jalen Hurts threw a career-high four interceptions in the Eagles’ 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, extending their losing streak to three games. Just as it has for most of the season, the passing game continued to flounder, as Hurts completed just 21 of 40 passes (52.5%) for 240 yards.

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts turns it over five times in yet another poor offensive display

The game was somewhat reminiscent of Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers, in which the Eagles defense dominated its way to victory. This time around, though, the Eagles’ stellar play, especially against the pass (Justin Herbert completed a season-low 46.2% of his attempts), wasn’t enough to earn the Eagles the win.

Is a get-well game finally on the way? On Sunday, the Eagles are set to face the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders, who haven’t won a game since mid-October (over the 2-11 Tennessee Titans).

Or are the Eagles walking into a 2023 Week 17 Arizona Cardinals-esque trap game? After all, since Week 9, the Eagles have scored only one more touchdown (eight) than the Raiders. Here’s what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles heading into Week 15:

After Monday night’s loss, Nick Sirianni described the Eagles’ five turnovers as being “uncharacteristic.”

In the greater context of the entire season, yes, the Eagles’ turnovers were indeed uncharacteristic. Going into the game, the Eagles had given up the ball 13 times, tied for the fourth-lowest total in the league.

But the turnovers have become characteristic of the Eagles over the last three weeks, a byproduct of their lack of detail. They’ve coughed up the ball nine times, the worst total in a span of three games under Sirianni. Hurts has been responsible for seven of those turnovers, although it’s fair to point out that those mistakes aren’t always exclusively on him (especially his fourth-quarter interception on a pass deflected by A.J. Brown).

» READ MORE: A.J. Brown ‘wasn’t great when it mattered’ as key drops doom the Eagles in loss to Chargers

For the first time since Week 8 against the New York Giants, the Eagles were not the more penalized team in a game (the Eagles had six penalties and the Chargers had seven). But the offense still found a way to lose the game because of its copious mistakes, even though the defense forced three turnovers and sacked Herbert seven times.

Before the Eagles’ three-game losing streak, Sirianni spoke of the importance of winning the turnover battle. He said, “When you combine good talent with good detail and good fundamentals, that’s where you get some special things happening.” The Eagles have enough talent on offense, but the lack of fundamentals has been holding them back.

If they can’t put it all together, regardless of how they fare for the rest of the regular season, their playoff run won’t have much life.

The blows keep on coming to the Eagles’ upcoming opposing quarterbacks.

After facing Herbert, who played through a surgically repaired non-throwing hand on Monday, the Eagles may or may not see Raiders quarterback Geno Smith on Sunday. The 35-year-old quarterback exited their Week 14 loss to the Broncos with an injury to his throwing shoulder after taking a hit in the third quarter.

With Smith sidelined, the Broncos turned to backup Kenny Pickett, who served in the same role with the Eagles in 2024. The native of Ocean Township, N.J., fared well in relief of Smith, going 8 of 11 for 97 yards and a touchdown, but his efforts weren’t enough to help the Raiders pull off a comeback.

The game marked Pickett’s first meaningful action with the Raiders, the team that acquired him in late August from the Cleveland Browns.

After the game, Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Smith’s shoulder “locked up” and the initial tests indicated that he avoided damage. If Smith can play, Carroll suggested that he would go with his starter. Otherwise, Pickett will be ready for his first start since he was a member of the Eagles in Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys while Hurts was in concussion protocol.

With Smith at the helm this season, the Raiders offense has been one of the worst in the league, ranking 30th in expected points added per play (-0.22), a statistic that measures the average points an offense generates on a play.

One of the passing game’s bright spots lately, though, has been Jack Bech, the second-round receiver out of Texas Christian. His usage has increased over the last couple of weeks, culminating with a career-high 80.9% of the snaps against the Broncos. He caught all six of his targets for 50 yards.

But the Raiders’ running game, headlined by sixth overall pick Ashton Jeanty, is worse than their passing game. The Raiders rank last in expected points added per rush at -.28. The next closest teams, the New Orleans Saints, the Tennessee Titans, and the Browns, are tied at -0.12. The offense’s overall dysfunction led to the firing of Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the former Eagles head coach, in late November after the team started its season 2-9.

If Vic Fangio’s defense can’t stop the Raiders offense, regardless of who starts at quarterback, the Eagles have a major problem on their hands. The group was stellar against the Chargers despite the result, limiting Los Angeles to 1 of 3 in the red zone and 7 of 19 on third down.

Meanwhile, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels exited his first game back since Week 9 after reinjuring his left elbow. That’s a topic for next week.

Despite the teamwide turmoil, the Raiders defense has been solid against the run for most of the season. Through the first 12 weeks, the Raiders had given up 1,137 rushing yards (94.8 per game), the 12th-lowest total in the NFL.

The last two weeks have been a different story. The Raiders have conceded 344 rushing yards (172 per game), which is tied with the Arizona Cardinals for third worst.

Six ballcarriers contributed to the Broncos’ rushing total of 152 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. RJ Harvey, the Broncos’ rookie running back, led the way with 75 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries (4.4 yards per carry).

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

Missed tackles have been an issue for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit. The Raiders have missed the second-greatest quantity of tackles in the NFL at 101, according to Pro Football Reference. Former Eagles inside linebacker Devin White is in a three-way tie for the league high with 18 missed tackles this season.

But the Raiders still made plays against the run on Sunday. Four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby set a new single-season career high with 25 tackles for losses. According to Next Gen Stats, Crosby leads all defensive linemen with 52 run stops, with 10 of them coming in the last two weeks.

Despite the Eagles’ offensive struggles on Monday night, Saquon Barkley had some positive moments in the running game. He finished the night with 122 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, good for his second-best output of the season and just the second time he has eclipsed 100 rushing yards.

Barkley was particularly effective when Hurts handed the ball off from under center. His longest gain — a 52-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter — came off a Tush Push fake when Hurts was lined up under center. If Barkley and his blockers can build on their latest performance, and if Lane Johnson returns this Sunday, the Eagles could have continued success on the ground against the Raiders.

Kelly wasn’t the only coordinator who got the ax this season. The Raiders also fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon in early November.

The Raiders’ special teams unit is one of the weaker groups in the league. They have conceded two touchdowns on punt returns this year, most recently on Sunday when Denver’s Marvin Mims scored on a 48-yard return in the second quarter to break a 7-7 tie. The Raiders joined the Browns as one of two teams that have given up two touchdowns on punt returns this season.

Britain Covey could have an opportunity to take advantage of the Raiders’ shaky punt coverage. The 28-year-old return specialist has proved over the last two weeks why he should have been the Eagles’ punt returner to start the season.

Covey averaged 18 yards per punt return against the Chargers. For reference, Xavier Gipson averaged 11.2 yards return during his stint as the Eagles’ punt returner and Jahan Dotson averaged 9.6. Covey is still seeking his first career touchdown on a punt return.