PHILADELPHIA — Even when they were consistently winning earlier this season, the Eagles were often squeaking out victories despite an out-of-sync offense, which made lots of fans see ghosts of Christmas past, still haunted with PTSD by the epic collapse of December 2023. That year, coming off a Su per Bowl appearance against Kansas City, the Eagles started 10-1 — surviving a bunch of close games with a choppy offense and a rubber-band and Band-Aid defense — before losing six of their last seven, including getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Now, the Eagles have lost two straight and four of their last eight. Their defense, unlike in ’23, had been among the best in the league, but even that side of the ball has faltered lately, surrendering a whopping 473 yards to Dallas and getting trampled for 281 rushing yards by Chicago (giving up 425 yards total to the Bears). The Black Friday loss to the Bears, 24-15, at Lincoln Financial Field (which happened in Week 13, not Week 3 or 4) was the low point. A collapse actually seemed real. The Eagles suddenly didn’t feel like a Super Bowl contender. “You’re looking at the flow of the game of how that goes and all those different things,” coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday. “Again, some of these answers when you’re trying to fix things, it is hard. Some of the answers aren’t clear. You’ve got to dig and you’ve got to fight to find them.” The La Salle High School football team practices at the Eagles’ indoor facility at NovaCare Complex on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in South Philadelphia in preparation for Saturday’s state championship game against Pittsburgh Central Catholic. (La Salle College High School) A reason for the 2023 collapse is the same reason the 2025 Eagles — and quarterback Jalen Hurts in particular — have been so conservative.   Turnovers. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. And the Chicago game showed why. If Hurts hadn’t turned the ball over twice, with an interception and a pick, the Eagles probably win that game ugly, eking out another one. But he did turn it over. Remember when Hurts had a turnover streak that spanned 10 weeks from 2023 to the early part of last season? He eliminated that issue by going completely risk-averse. Limiting turnovers is all that matters to him — even if it means not running the offense as designed, not hitting opportunities down the field or over the middle, and not maximizing all the talented skill players on this roster. As far as Hurts is concerned, the rest of the offense be damned! Sirianni values two stats over any other: winning the turnover battle and winning explosive plays. Hurts, until Black Friday, had mastered the first. As for the second? Not so much. Not even a hint. Last year, most of the explosives came from Saquon Barkley in the running game (after the team shifted to a run-centered approach during their Week 5 bye in October), so Hurts could get by with limited pass attempts and checking down. But the running game has been stymied this year — largely due to an injury-riddled offensive line — and the passing game hasn’t made up for it. Hurts has been tentative, held the ball too long, not followed through with his reads and not taken advantage of open receivers. He also hasn’t run as much himself (though that’s another adjustment in the last couple years to balance keeping him healthy, which is important and had been another problem). But QB1 said he’s trying to figure things out. “It’s not just the last game I’ve watched,” a thoughtful Hurts said Thursday. “It’s going back and watching a ton of different things — (past) years, games from this season, the rhythm, the sequencing, and the structure that we had and how organized we were. “I think we’ve got a lot of opportunity in front of us. It takes a tight-knit group, it takes a collective. And all of those things are things that we can control, in hindsight. … You never run from accountability. You never run from owning the things you can control, and there are a lot of things we can improve on. There are a lot of things we’ve done well in the past, there are a lot of things that we do well now. “We just have to be more consistent in that. We’ve got to be able to define the things that we want to do, so it’s clear for everyone and everyone’s on the same page. I start with myself first on that.” • • • Thursday practice report: DNP — DT Jalen Carter (shoulders/out/week-to-week), RT Lane Johnson (foot/out/multiple weeks). LIMITED — ILB Zack Baun (hand), WR Jahan Dotson (toe), WR Xavier Gipson (shoulder), OLB Jaelan Phillips (concussion). FULL — S Marcus Epps (shoulder), T Myles Hinton (back). • • • The Eagles named All-Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata their Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. The award, designated after the legendary Bears running back, honors players who make an impact off the field as well as on it. The league’s national award winner, chosen from the 32 honorees of each team, will be announced during Super Bowl week. “I love Jordan,” left guard Landon Dickerson said. “Couldn’t be happier for him. The guy does so much stuff, on and off the field, especially to help the community and really support everyone around him and just give back, because he’s in such a blessed position.” Mailata is active in numerous charity initiatives, including in autism research and helping underserved children throughout the area. • • • Cornerback Darius Slay, whom the Eagles released last spring and signed with the Steelers, was released by Pittsburgh Thursday and claimed by the Buffalo Bills off waivers. There was mutual interest between Slay and the Eagles, and the 34-year-old former All-Pro has chosen not to report to Buffalo. “Slay is honored that a first-class organization like the Bills claimed him, but he is going to take some time away from football right now and decide in the next few days if he wants to keep playing,” Slay’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN. Slay, a healthy scratch last week, played in 10 games for Pittsburgh this season, starting nine. He recorded three passes defensed, a fumble recovery, 36 total tackles and a tackle for loss. “Big Play Slay” was here from 2020 through 2024, serving as an outspoken team leader and mentoring young cornerback Qunyon Mitchell. The Eagles’ secondary has been struggling lately, especially at CB2, and rookie safety Drew Mukuba (ankle) is on injured reserve. • • • Suburban Philadelphia’s La Salle College High School in Montgomery County is facing Pittsburgh Central Catholic for the Class 6A state football championship Saturday night. Ahead of the game, the Eagles invited La Salle to practice on their indoor field at NovaCare Complex Wednesday night. The title tilt will be at Cumberland Valley High School at 7 p.m. — Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc for the latest updates. ...read more read less