The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t play their best game on Christmas Day against the New York Giants, but Jalen Hurts firmly believes they have taken a step in the right direction.
While the Eagles beat the Giants, 33-25, their performance leaves so much to be desired. After a strong first half that saw them take a 20-3 lead, Philly allowed New York to claw its way back and cut the lead to just two (20-18) heading to the fourth quarter.
Hurts and Co. were able to hold on for the victory, but for those watching the Eagles crumble and barely survive, it really isn’t the most encouraging win.
The Eagles were coming off a three-game slide, and while ending that slump and getting the win was great, the same problems that caused them to struggle so hard was present once again on Christmas.
Hurts, however, is looking at the bright side of things. They were able to win despite an ugly game, and he is confident that they are now on the right path to correct their mistakes.
“I’d love to say we’re close [to meeting the standard],” Hurts said in his postgame presser, via Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal.
“I think we’re trending in the right direction.”
Jalen Hurts did remind the Philadelphia Eagles faithful that “it’s still a process” and a “journey.” They will have to simply keep going and make sure they learn from every lesson thrown at them.
As for his teammates, the quarterback warned that they need to find the right balance from playing to their standard and winning. Hurts understand that winning games can be misleading, as it doesn’t always mean they are playing great. Like what happened in the New York Giants game, they did win but didn’t reach the standards they set for themselves.
“It’s like a double-edged sword of what’s more important, winning or the standard? It’s a very manipulative thing to the mind sometimes,” Hurts furthered, according to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports.
Hopefully, the Eagles really learned their lesson against the Giants. They will meet the same team once again in Week 18 after facing the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17, so it should be a good opportunity for them to prove that they can adapt and adjust quickly.
Unlike Jalen Hurts, Other Philadelphia Eagles Are Not Too Happy With Win
While Jalen Hurts showed optimism on the Philadelphia Eagles’ progress, his teammate Jason Kelce wasn’t as kind and complimentary after the less-than-ideal win.
Speaking to reporters postgame, Kelce described their performance as “sloppy” and “embarrassing.”
“It’s Week (16) right now. It’s embarrassing to have too many guys on the field. I had a bad snap. …It was a sloppy game overall. We played really well at times. …A lot of really, really good things. But the mistakes, gross errors, penalties, kept them in the ball game,” Kelce shared.
The challenge is on the Eagles to make sure they play perfectly moving forward. While Week 16 isn’t encouraging, at least they still have some opportunity to make things right.
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