If you told someone who knew nothing about the Philadelphia Eagles' most recent game that they'd be playing theLos Angeles Rams, they'd probably pencil it in as a loss. You probably wouldn't find cause to fault them.
Add layers, and the task seems more daunting. The Eagles were without Lane Johnson, several starters, and key contributors. DeVonta Smith, Zack Baun, and Dallas Goedert were all listed as inactive before kickoff
.Quinyon Mitchell and Saquon Barkley were both lost during the action. That would justify a loss to the Rams, even if Los Angeles was missing Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett. Still, this game is tough to explain.
Philadelphia led 20-10 and faced third-and-goal from the two-yard line with 8:17 left in the fourth quarter. Regardless
of who's playing (or not playing), an NFL team must put the game away.
Philadelphia didn't, and here we are. Jalen Hurts spoke with the media post-game and blamed another ugly offensive performance on "poor execution." He's being criticized heavily after this one. Let's break down another rough outing, one that resulted in a second consecutive Eagles loss.
Jalen Hurts' best throws
There's a thin line between winning and losing in the NFL, and failure and success walk a thin line of their own. What if we told you that Jalen Hurts' most exciting throw of the contest was almost intercepted? Rams defender Quentin Lake came within inches of a drive-ending interception. Instead, Darius Cooper made one of the week's best catches.
Cooper said MINE 😤@LARvsPHI on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/LiUWnfis12
The result is six points and a touchdown. We avoid the questionable decision and instead highlight a great throw and catch.
Jalen Hurts' Week 4 final report card
Accuracy and ball location: D
Football is a team game, and no, Hurts hasn't gotten help from his offensive line at times, but let's be frank. Even when his feet are set and he has time to process what he is seeing, he still throws too many wild passes. Some of his incompletions come from rocketing a ball out of bounds because he doesn't have anything, but an NFL quarterback still has to connect on many of these.
A tough showing for Jalen Hurts and the #Eagles offense in Week 4. What's your confidence level as Philadelphia shifts to Week 5? pic.twitter.com/OiMp5gQbfa
— Geoffrey A Knox 'GQ' (@GQ_4_Eva) October 5, 2026
Vision and dissection: C-
We can talk about concerns about Jalen Hurts' field vision. When listening to what Super Bowl champion Nick Foles has to say, it's easy to raise an eyebrow.
@NickFoles with some interesting stuff here. pic.twitter.com/J3kY5kvrs6
— Geoffrey A Knox 'GQ' (@GQ_4_Eva) October 5, 2026
But what about those questions about pass protection, or lack thereof? That must be taken into consideration.
There’s a lot of things that we can talk about with the offense in Philadelphia through four games, but the process for Jalen Hurts is so accelerated it’s unbelievable.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) October 5, 2026
Another play that stood out from yesterday 🗣️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/7gEoe5CSE9
The verdict: Teams keep sending the blitz for a reason, and yes, it keeps working for reasons. Hurts doesn't seem to know where to go with the ball far too often for a quarterback who has played at this level for as long as he has. It isn't an exact science, but it's hard to go 0-12 on third down. In a results-driven business, Hurts didn't complete a pass that resulted in a first down during the second half.
Intangibles and off-script plays: D
This is typically an area where Hurts has separated himself, even if the complaint is that he rolls right out of the pocket too often and holds onto the ball too long. The question is whether that's the greater sin, or if he's panicking because he's in constant danger.
The Rams blitzed Jalen Hurts on 60.6% of his dropbacks on Sunday, per @NextGenStats That’s their highest blitz rate ever under Chris Shula.
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) October 5, 2026
They blitzed the Eagles on 11 of 12 third downs — they got 6 pressures and a sack on third-down blitzes.
The verdict: Hurts has shown he can create on the fly and put his team on his shoulders. Still, there wasn't a lot of that this week.
Decision-making: D
This isn't just a Jalen Hurts problem. This is an Eagles, Nick Sirianni, and Sean Mannion problem. Let's be frank, the head coach is saying after a Week 4 loss that he doesn't believe this team knows what it wants to be offensively. Why wouldn't that play itself out on the field? Why wouldn't Jalen Hurts seem out of sorts?
Leadership: B+
Honestly, leadership doesn't feel like an issue off the field, anyway. Hurts' teammates will follow him and go to war for him, but this team doesn't seem to know what it wants to do or accomplish.
Jalen Hurts is the Eagles' starting quarterback, and he shoulders some of that responsibility and criticism. Based on his post-game press conference, he'd probably agree.
Overall grade: D
Regardless of who's missing and who plays, the Eagles will go as far as Jalen Hurts takes them. That's life in the NFL. When you're making the money he is, the job description says the starting quarterback must make lemonade out of lemons.
Sunday's loss wasn't entirely his fault. Philadelphia was missing several key contributors, the offensive line struggled in critical moments, and the coaching staff continues searching for answers as the offense stalls after halftime. Still, franchise quarterbacks are judged differently, and Hurts didn't do enough to elevate the group around him.
The numbers tell part of the story. Hurts completed 12 of 27 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns while taking four sacks. The larger issue, however, was Philadelphia's inability to function offensively when the game tightened. The Eagles finished 0-for-12 on third down, failed to score in the second half for a second consecutive week, and watched a double-digit lead disappear.
There have been stretches during Hurts' career when he has masked flaws elsewhere on the roster. Right now, the opposite is happening. The Eagles need their quarterback to provide answers, and through four games, neither Hurts nor the offense appears to have found them.
That's why the grade lands where it does. The Eagles didn't lose because of one player, but their quarterback didn't do enough to prevent another frustrating loss either.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Jalen Hurts Week 4 grades after Eagles’ offense collapses again
