Nick Sirianni Dismisses “Ridiculous” Idea of Benching Jalen Hurts After Humiliating Night Against Chargers

Jalen Hurts had five turnovers in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, including a late walk-off interception in overtime.

Nick Sirianni Dismisses “Ridiculous” Idea of Benching Jalen Hurts After Humiliating Night Against Chargers

Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts (Image via The Morning Call)

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The Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach, Nick Sirianni, isn’t a supporter of the rising intense calls for benching their quarterback, Jalen Hurts. The Eagles’ passer threw a career-high four interceptions in the brutal overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday.

The Chargers dismantled and chipped at the Eagles’ playoff chances, defeating them 22-19. The Eagles had a say in the game before Hurts threw one late pass to Chargers defensive back Tony Jefferson to seal a walkoff interception in overtime. Overall, Hurts had completed just 21 of his 40 passes for 240 yards and a quarterback rating of 31.3.

In the world of sports, even the most loyal fans can get fickle about their favorites. The dismal offensive output did push a majority of fans to rally behind benching Jalen Hurts. However, Sirianni wasn’t having any of it. In his talk on the 94 WIP in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Sirianni completely shut down any such moves concerning Hurts

No, I think that’s ridiculous. I know every time I go out on that field with Jalen Hurts as our quarterback, we have a chance to win the game. That’s something that’s been proven. We’ve won a lot of football games.

Sirianni added that the loss falls on the team, calling the NFL an “ultimate team game.” And the Eagles have won a lot with Hurts in the center, including Super Bowl LIX. Hurts, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, owns a 54–25 career record in the regular season and a 6–3 mark in postseason play.

He is also one of only seven quarterbacks to reach multiple Super Bowls and secure a championship within their first five NFL seasons, joining an elite group that includes Tom Brady, Troy Aikman, Patrick Mahomes, Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner, and Russell Wilson.

The Eagles’ slump doesn’t help the case of Jalen Hurts

As Sirianni emerged as his strongest defender, the fact that Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles are in a series of forgettable outings doesn’t magically vanish. They are marred by Philadelphia’s offensive struggles and reports that internal voices within the organization are frustrated with his performance. Despite an 8-2 record, his personal numbers aren’t too glamorous.

Jalen Hurts' 4 INTs cost Eagles
Jalen Hurts’ 4 INTs cost Eagles (Image via Dan Rogers/X)

Through 13 games, Hurts has completed 64.7% of his passes with 2,754 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has also thrown seven interceptions already, which is two more than the number of interceptions he threw last year. In the past two games alone, he had seven turnovers. The Eagles rank near the bottom in total offense (21st in both passing and rushing statistics)

The Eagles are currently on a three-game losing streak. Charged by strong performances from Dak Prescott and George Pickens, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Eagles 24-21 in Arlington to start the Eagles’ mid-season skid. The loss to the Cowboys followed another one to the Chicago Bears. The Bears didn’t give up the lead at any point in the game and ended up on top with a 24-15 win.

The Chargers’ dismantling came after the Cowboys and the Bears games. With the Cowboys right on their tail with 6-6-1, the Eagles can’t really afford to drop more games or make mistakes. The conference’s top spot is also under threat, and finishing at 3rd and 4th seeds might see the Eagles play teams with better records than them.

The Eagles, however, have a pretty easy schedule from here. They play the Las Vegas Raiders next. The Raiders are one of the weakest teams in the league, and a win against them is one would assume the Philadelphia team not fumbling. The Eagles also rally for two games against the Washington Commanders, who are way different from what they were last year. The only game against an above-average .500 opponent is a Week 17 game against the Buffalo Bills.

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