The Philadelphia Eagles were really looking forward to the opportunity to beat one of their biggest rivals in the shape of the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Unfortunately for the Eagles and their fans, the game didn’t exactly turn out as planned, with the Cowboys pulling off an important 41-21 victory at AT&T Stadium.
After the game, Philadelphia’s starting quarterback Jalen Hurts did not hide from the media. The 23-year-old took responsibility for the loss by placing the blame on himself.
“This one’s on me…I take responsibility for how this game went,” Hurts said, via Associated Press.
Despite throwing for 326 yards and two touchdowns on the evening, Hurts did not have a very good night at the office. He gave up two interceptions, was sacked twice and was 25 for 39 in pass attempts. Hurts knows he needs to be better if the Eagles have any chance of beating their rivals.
“This didn’t go my way, things didn’t go our way,” Hurts said. “It’s tough. All I can do is take ownership for how I played, and how it affected the team in the end.”
His teammates in Philadelphia were quick to come to the quarterback’s defense though, refusing to let him take all the blame for the loss.
“Obviously we all know that’s not true. Whenever you get beat like that, it’s everybody. Losses like that don’t happen just because of one guy,” veteran center Jason Kelce said. “But that is the way you would expect Jalen Hurts to feel. Bottom line is the leaders that are really good players ultimately feel that they completely control the situation.
“We’ve got to play much much better across the board.”
With Monday’s loss, the Eagles now fall to 1-2 on the season and sit in third in the competitive NFC East division. There are still plenty of games left in the season to catch the Cowboys, who sit atop the division at 2-1, but the Eagles know they will need to turn things around quickly. They are coming off consecutive losses after beating the Atlanta Falcons in the opening week of the season.
Dallas, on the other hand, are now coming off two wins in a row after knocking off the Los Angeles Chargers last week. They are flying high with quarterback Dak Prescott, who is coming off a significant ankle injury from last season.
“I said it earlier in the year, and I’ll say it again: I think just getting hurt last year and having to sit back and watch football, a different perspective and just different ways people play this game,” Prescott said following Monday’s game, via ESPN. “Going back, the experience obviously has helped, but just studying and preparing myself and then all the work that I’ve put in just to get back healthy, not only the leg but the shoulder … I feel like I’m playing the best I’ve ever played.”
The Cowboys hope to keep the momentum going when they host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon. Next up for the Eagles will be the defending AFC Champions the Kansas City Chiefs.
