CHICAGO (AP) — Turnovers, penalties and poor decisions were costly in Philadelphia’s 27-7 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night. The Eagles also were hurt by circumstances out of their control when quarterback Jalen Hurts was in concussion protocol.
First, a look at what was in their control.
Hurts threw an interception, backup Andy Dalton tossed an end-zone pick when Hurts was being evaluated, and the Eagles lost a fumble while forcing zero turnovers.
“You can’t sustain wins,” coach Nick Sirianni said of losing the turnover battle. “Obviously have to make a change there.”
Then there were the penalties. Philadelphia was whistled 10 times for 61 yards, several of which were holds against the secondary. Add in some questionable decisions, including Sirianni electing not to go for it on fourth-and-1 on his own 49-yard line down 20-7 with 3:30 left in the third quarter and Dalton firing into the hands of Bears safety Dillon Thieneman on third-and-2 from the 2-yard line, and it was a recipe for defeat.
“I think we all have to own that loss right there,” Sirianni said. “I don’t think anybody coached well, I don’t think anybody played well. It was a true team loss.”
A turning point for Philadelphia came with 8:37 remaining in the second quarter of a seven-point game when D’Marco Jackson decked Hurts with a hard hit just as the quarterback was stepping out of bounds after a scramble.
Jackson was flagged for unnecessary roughness while Hurts was flagged for a possible concussion by NFL spotters. Beginning at Chicago’s 15-yard line, Dalton took over. After three running plays, he threw an interception while an animated Hurts came out of the medical tent, apparently ready to play but not quite cleared to do so.
“I was still waiting for the thumbs-up,” Hurts said. He added that he felt fine and wished things could have been expedited.
Sirianni understood the protocol and did not second guess officials’ decision to evaluate Hurts.
“The health of the player is the most important thing,” he said. “That was unfortunate how that possession played itself out.”
Sirianni also said that he considered calling a timeout to buy time in order to get Hurts back on the field but did not have enough information to know if it would be worth it to do so.
The Eagles (2-1) will have to clean things up if they want to contend for a title.
“This is an opportunity to learn from, and we have to choose to learn from it,” Hurts said.
On the field, not much. Off the field, accountability. Both Hurts and Sirianni accepted blame for their part in the loss. Sirianni said he was sorry for his verbal lashing out following the hit on Hurts.
Just about everything. The Eagles needed Hurts to rescue them in a Week 2 win over Tennessee with a stellar final drive, but it masked struggles that showed up again against the Bears.
The offense has been ineffective, with Hurts under constant pressure. He was sacked twice more against the Bears, bringing the total to eight sacks for minus-45 yards this season.
The running game had some bright spots in the first half but stalled after halftime. Defensively, the Eagles allowed backup Case Keenum to pick them apart for 247 yards and a pair of touchdowns. And, of course, the penalties and turnovers didn’t help.
Hurts running in short-yardage situations continues to be a weapon for Philadelphia’s offense, and Hurts executed it to perfection for the team’s only touchdown at the end of the first half. He expertly managed the clock on the play, choosing to go for it from the 1-yard line rather than clock the ball and got the snap off just before the first half expired.
Defense. Vic Fangio’s unit was expected to be a strength this season but has been average at best. The unit has surrendered more than 100 yards on the ground in each of the three games, allowing more than 127 yards per contest, while giving up an average of 23 points per game.
None
0-The number of turnovers forced by the Eagles defense in the first three games.
Host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni responds to a question during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts responds to a question during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/David Banks)
ISLAMABAD (AP) — It's a familiar sight in Pakistan’s capital whenever a protest is expected: shipping containers lined up along streets or placed across key routes to restrict demonstrators’ movement and keep them from reaching sensitive areas.
For residents, the steel barriers have become an unmistakable warning of what may follow: blocked streets, snarled traffic and long detours across Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi.
The latest deployment came ahead of a march by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release. Cranes have lifted red, blue and green containers from trucks and lowered them into place along roads.
Originally scheduled for Sept. 27, the march was postponed until Oct. 4, but many of the containers remain in place. Since last week, police have positioned them along key routes leading to the Red Zone, home to Parliament, government offices and foreign embassies.
Khan, a former cricket star turned politician and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s main political rival, has been imprisoned since 2023. He is serving multiple prison sentences following convictions on corruption and other charges. Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party say the cases are politically motivated.
Khan was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. Sharif returned to office after lawmakers elected him prime minister following the Feb. 8, 2024, parliamentary election. Khan’s party says its mandate was stolen in that vote, an allegation the government denies.
Now against Islamabad’s green hills and tree-lined avenues, the rows of brightly colored containers are hard to miss. Some sit beside busy roads, ready to be moved. Others are stacked two high or positioned across traffic lanes, turning broad avenues into narrow, controlled passages.
“It looks like a city of containers,” Islamabad housewife Sahiba Bibi said.
She said this time the disruption began before demonstrators had even set out for Islamabad from across the country, particularly from northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan’s party governs.
PTI's top leadership said it delayed the march because authorities had blocked key approaches to the capital, including Attock Bridge, a major crossing for convoys traveling from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Containers and spiked metal sheets had been placed along the route that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his supporters were expected to take, party organizers said.
Even where roads remained open, the preparations narrowed traffic lanes and created long lines of vehicles. Commuters searched for alternate routes, while shopkeepers along potential protest paths weighed whether to close their businesses, fearing damage if unrest or clashes broke out.
Authorities say they pay rent to owners of container trucks for the use of the containers. But some drivers say police stop them on highways, seize their vehicles and take their keys.
Rehmat Gul, a container-truck driver, said police stopped him and took his keys before impounding his truck. The container was later placed on a road near Rawalpindi, he said.
“Fuel prices have almost doubled because of the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran,” said Abdul Hafeez, a government employee who commutes from Rawalpindi to Islamabad for work and also drives his children to school. “At a time when we are already struggling to keep our kitchens running, roadblocks force us to travel farther.”
“If the government does not block the roads, we have no problem with these protests,” he said.
For many residents, the containers are no longer merely a security measure. Their arrival signals that another political confrontation is approaching and that ordinary life may be disrupted.
The government, however, says the precautions are necessary.
“PTI has a track record of disruption and vandalism during protests, and its supporters would not be allowed to enter the capital,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters in Peshawar last week.
Afridi rejected the government’s characterization, saying PTI’s sole purpose was to hold a peaceful rally demanding Khan’s release.
Authorities used similar measures in November 2024, sealing roads into Islamabad as Khan’s supporters attempted to reach the capital despite a ban on rallies. Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.
That experience has taught residents not to wait for a formal road-closure announcement.
Once cranes begin lowering containers into place, many start changing their routes, and some begin stocking up on food.
Residents walk past shipping containers placed by authorities to seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
A resident walk past shipping containers placed by authorities to seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Vehicles drive past shipping containers placed by authorities along side on a highway for seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Shipping containers placed by authorities along side on a highway for seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Motorcyclists drive past shipping containers placed by authorities to seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Motorcyclists drive past shipping containers placed by authorities to seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Vehicles drive past shipping containers placed by authorities to seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Vehicles drive past shipping containers placed by authorities to seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
