The Philadelphia Eagles’ first loss of the season included a sequence that starting quarterback Jalen Hurts found frustrating after Monday night’s 27-7 defeat to the Chicago Bears.
Hurts questioned the length of his concussion evaluation after an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant pulled him from a second-quarter drive following Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson’s hit near the sideline. Hurts ultimately cleared the evaluation and returned to the game, but later than he wanted to.
“I was just waiting for the thumbs-up,” Hurts said. “I felt fine; we already checked it. I don’t know the extent of the process; obviously, wish we could have expedited things. I know I felt fine.”
The timing proved costly, as Hurts had moved Philadelphia’s offense from its own 3-yard line to Chicago territory before leaving the game following the late hit. Backup quarterback Andy Dalton entered the game and stayed on for four plays, with Saquon Barkley’s 14-yard run putting Philadelphia at the Bears’ 1-yard line.
After Chicago stopped Barkley twice, Dalton threw an interception to Dillon Thieneman on third-and-goal from two yards away. Hurts was still awaiting clearance when the turnover occurred.
“I think practically, emotionally, and competitively, I was in the right place to go out there and compete,” Hurts said. “So it’s a situation that hopefully we can learn from. I don’t really draw those protocols up.”
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Hurts returned on the next possession and finished a 67-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting Chicago’s lead to 10-7 at halftime.
The Eagles never scored again as Hurts finished 16 of 25 for 153 passing yards and an interception while adding 25 rushing yards and the touchdown.
The Eagles now have to regroup after their first defeat of the season ahead of a difficult home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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