Philadelphia Eagles: Run that ball, Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts getting a lot of undue hate for one reason or another.

Some critique the second-year pro’s abilities as a passer – be that his accuracy, decision making, or arm strength – while others have called him a glorified running back, and others still have gone so far as to declare definitively that the Philadelphia Eagles will never win a Super Bowl with number 1 under center.

Granted, some of these definitive declarations will surely disappear if Hurts remains under center for the next decade, and the Day 1 fans list will grow exponentially, but hey, that’s fandom for ya.

While the Eagles have become more and more effective with each passing game, ironically enough, by not passing the ball nearly as much, the number of fans that disapprove of Hurts have grown smaller but more hardened in their beliefs, with the OklaBama product’s abilities being consistently called into question despite improved accuracy and decision making in the pocket.

And yet, despite his perceived shortcomings, Jalen Hurts just set a record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in Philadelphia Eagles history, which is pretty darn impressive considering Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, and Randall Cunningham all played for the franchise. Huh, you’d think that would be looked at as an asset, not a point of critique.

Jalen Hurts is the Philadelphia Eagles’ new Ultimate Weapon.

In the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, a quarterback had only run the ball 18 times in a single game twice – Jalen Hurts against the New Orleans Saints in 2020… and Jalen Hurts, again, in 2021.

Despite only having 15 games of action at quarterback under his belt, Hurts has actually recorded five of the 10 highest-rushing attempt games in franchise history and is only one of five players to record 100 rushing yards in a single game alongside Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Randall Cunningham, and Jack Concannon, who ran the ball 15 times for 129 yards against Pittsburgh in December of 1966.

Sidebar: You’re welcome for that fun fact.

Is that a bad thing? Should the Eagles be relying on their quarterback to run the ball more often than their running backs? Conventional wisdom would suggest no, but in Week 11, at least, Hurts wasn’t a one-man band.

Yes, he still led the team in rushing attempts, though not necessarily due to Nick Sirianni’s intentions; Hurts only accounted for 36 percent of the Birds’ attempts on the ground and was outgained by Miles Sanders in his triumphant return to the lineup. Between Sanders, Hurts, Jordan Howard, and Boston Scott, the Eagles picked up a season-high 242 rushing yards on 50 attempts versus one of the stingiest fronts in the business.

If you’re looking for a statement game to prove Philly isn’t packing it in and turning their eyes to 2022, this very much was it.

On top of his on-the-ground efforts, Hurts made some really nice throws to his two favorite targets, DeVonta Smith and the newly-extended Dallas Goedert, and even nailed JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a pivotal fourth-quarter second down to keep the drive alive and ultimately score one of the best touchdowns you’ll ever see to seal the win (missed it? Watch it here).

Goodness, could JJAW be that elusive fourth receiving option to supplement Smith, Goedertz, and deep threat Quez Watkins? Probably not, but hey, when better to overreact than after a 40 point win?

As the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense continues to evolve and the coaching staff finally embraces using their elite offensive line to help impose their will on opposing fronts via a very strong front seven, things are inevitably going to change. Some players will receive more snaps,  others – like Jalen Reagor – should maybe have their snap count reduced in favor of other options, but one thing that has persisted is Jalen Hurts’ ability to keep his team together while impacting the game with both his arms and legs. Even if his game isn’t quite as polished as one would like just yet, that comes with experience. For now, Hurts will continue to put his team in a position to succeed even if his supporting cast isn’t quite there yet, either.