EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There was no miracle for the Eagles this time at the Meadowlands.
Nick Sirianni has a rivalry board in the team facility with great moments from Eagles-Giants games of yore, but the Eagles’ 13-6 loss to the Giants won’t be memorialized. The Eagles lost a winnable game, appearing listless for much of the afternoon and squandering two opportunities to go ahead in the final two minutes.
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Jalen Hurts threw three interceptions in the first three quarters, including one at the 1-yard line. Boston Scott fumbled on a potential go-ahead drive in the final two minutes. And Jalen Reagor couldn’t haul in two catchable passes in the final seconds. The Eagles needed somebody to make a play, like DeSean Jackson, Brian Westbrook and Herman Edwards had in the past. But there was no miracle on this day, and the Eagles fell to 5-7.
The game was lost when
The Eagles’ last-ditch effort at a dramatic victory fell short when Jalen Reagor couldn’t haul in a pass near the goal line on fourth down with 25 seconds remaining. Reagor had an opportunity to make the catch and failed to secure back-to-back attempts from Hurts. The Eagles didn’t target DeVonta Smith on that final drive, and the first-round pick appeared frustrated when he returned to the sideline, throwing his helmet in disgust.
Evaluating Jalen Hurts
This might have been the worst game of Hurts’ career — at least as a passer. Hurts finished 14-of-31 for 129 yards and three interceptions. It was the first three-interception game of Hurts’ career. He cost the Eagles points with an interception before halftime from the 1-yard line — points that the Eagles could have used when trailing by six instead of three late in the game.
His running ability cannot be discredited, though, and he remained electric in that area with 77 yards. But his inefficient passing hurt the Eagles on Sunday and won’t calm concerns about his inconsistency through the air.
Evaluating Nick Sirianni
This was not a good enough game for Sirianni, whose offense didn’t score in the first three quarters and who too often abandoned the formula that had been working for the Eagles in recent weeks. The Eagles had 12 passes and four runs through their first three drives, and even when they passed, they weren’t doing enough to get Smith and Dallas Goedert involved.
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The Eagles had a pristine chance to get to .500 and show they could be playoff contenders. This was a bad loss.
Three drives that mattered
1. Boston Scott fumbled the ball away at the Giants’ 45-yard line with the Eagles trailing by six points in the final two minutes. Scott has been tremendous against the Giants historically and rushed for his sixth career touchdown against them earlier in the quarter, but there was no storybook ending for Scott on the potential go-ahead drive. The Eagles were forced to use all three of their timeouts when the Giants took over, and their last gasp came with 71 seconds and 59 yards to go.
2. The Eagles had the chance to either take the lead or at least tie the game before halftime. They drove 92 yards to the 1-yard line with eight seconds remaining. They had a third down and no timeouts. A touchdown would give them a 7-3 lead. An incompletion would have allowed for a field goal. Instead, Hurts rolled out, ticked precious time off the clock and threw an interception. The Eagles were left without points and remained scoreless until the fourth quarter.
3. After the Eagles were stopped on a fourth down to open the second half, the Giants put together their first touchdown drive. It took 10 plays to go 59 yards and required a penalty flag for pass interference on a third down in the end zone, but they finally scored when Chris Myarick caught a 1-yard touchdown. (And I use “caught” here loosely. The ball was trapped between his hand and his leg.) The big play on the drive was a 17-yard pass from Daniel Jones to Darius Slayton.
Injuries
The most serious injury was to right guard Jack Driscoll, who left the game in the second half with an ankle injury and was quickly declared out. Driscoll was replaced by Nate Herbig.
The costliest injury was to Jason Kelce, who missed time in the first half with an ailing knee. Herbig played center in Kelce’s place and was flagged for two holding penalties, including one that negated a touchdown.
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Miles Sanders appeared to reinjure his ankle, but there was no formal injury announcement.
Big picture
The Eagles entered Sunday with momentum as a team to watch in the NFC considering their recent hot streak and their soft schedule. But they didn’t play up to expectations. The loss to the Giants drops them to 5-7, and their chances of competing for a postseason bid — or even the NFC East crown — have gone largely out the window. The season is not lost, particularly with the 3-8 Jets on tap next week. But a record of 5-7 with a loss to the Giants looks considerably different than 6-6 with a three-game winning streak.
Note: Look for extensive postgame coverage on The Athletic and on “Birds With Friends.”
(Photo: Elsa / Getty Images)