Jalen Hurts: Eagles need to own collapse against Cowboys - ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Philadelphia Eagles' locker room was silent Sunday as the media entered following a 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the players still processing how they let a 21-point lead slip through their fingers.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver DeVonta Smith sat side-by-side at their locker stalls, still in their game pants, with Hurts staring straight ahead pensively as Smith looked through his phone.

«We've got to find a way to finish the game, and we've got to find some consistency in what we do,» Hurts said once he came to the podium. «Definitely the tale of two halves. In the end, we didn't play a complete game as a team, and today it got us.

»We've got to own this one, let it light a fire in us as a team and stay together and move forward."

Philadelphia scored on its first three possessions. Amid reports about internal frustration directed at how Hurts was operating the offense, the reigning Super Bowl MVP came out red-hot, scoring twice on the ground and once through the air to stake his team to a 21-0 lead.

The defense was doing its part as well, complete with an interception of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott by safety Reed Blankenship in the end zone with 5:07 left in the second quarter to preserve the shutout.

According to ESPN's Football Power Index, the Eagles had a 96% chance to win the game after that pick.

But their offense went cold. Five possessions ended on punts, one on a 56-yard missed field goal by Jake Elliott and another on a Saquon Barkley fumble midway through the fourth quarter. Xavier Gipson had a giveaway on a punt return moments later.

Penalties were a major factor. The Eagles' 14 infractions tied for their most in a game under coach Nick Sirianni. The last time they