The Philadelphia Eagles have lost three straight games after a 42-19 thrashing at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, a game in which defensive end Nick Bosa claimed to have given out the “blueprint” for stopping quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The most recent defeat came on Monday Night Football, when Hurts faced Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Drew Lock. Lock outdueled Hurts in the air, throwing for 208 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with less than 30 seconds remaining.
Hurts threw for 143 yards and completed 17 of his 31 attempts. Hurts had two interceptions, one a game-saving pick on a deep throw when the Eagles needed just approximately 15 yards to set up a field goal.
Hurts’ only two touchdowns came on the ground as part of his 82-yard running effort. The Eagles outgained the Seahawks on the ground by 78 yards, but turnovers were the difference in the end.
The “blueprint” Nick Bosa provided to stop Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles is centered on QB containment.
The 49ers held the Eagles to 46 yards rushing in a game in which they were seeking vengeance for last year’s NFC Championship game. Defensive end Nick Bosa and his teammates claim to have solved the Jalen Hurts conundrum, and if other teams simply study the tape, the example is there.
According to a Sports Illustrated piece, Bosa claimed to have shown other teams how to stop Hurts.
“Yeah, I mean, you see it on tape, though,” Bosa told reporters. “Of course, we published the blueprint. Hopefully, the Cowboys will watch the video.
“Instead of those B-gaps, we made Jalen stay in the pocket and escape outside, and it paid off.” Because Jalen is constantly looking at the rush, you just have to be diligent and not give him that short escape path where he can go to his men quickly.”
One of the final plays in this game breakdown from Brian Baldinger reveals how Hurts struggles when forced to escape the pocket. When his first read isn’t there, Hurts struggles to keep his eyes downfield.
“When you play on a good team like this, a really good team, you have to sometimes give up some of the selfish-type statistics (such as) rushing out of your gap, stuff like that, for the bigger picture,” Bosa said in an interview. “And I think we did really well.”
“We made Jalen stay in the pocket and escape outside instead of those B gaps, and it paid off.”
Since the 49ers game, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has seen his MVP chances slip through his fingers.
Hurts and the Eagles had the best record in the NFL at 10-1 before falling badly to the 49ers in front of their home crowd. Hurts found the endzone on his feet or through the air in every game.
Hurts has only one passing touchdown since and went scoreless against the Dallas Cowboys. Hurts’ performance on Monday Night Football was his worst yet, with a season-low 40.1 passer rating. Hurts threw multiple interceptions for only the third time this season.
Hurts now has 17 turnovers, which ties him for the most in the league. Another major critique leveled at Hurts, particularly last night, is his inability to check the ball down and accept what the defense throws to him. Hurts’ interceptions against the Seahawks were both the result of him pushing the ball downfield excessively.
The Eagles will play the New York Giants on Monday again next week in a divisional clash. After having the best record in the league with only a few games remaining, the Eagles will now need to win on Christmas Day to match the NFC East-leading Cowboys in divisional wins.
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