Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts named most explosive rusher in the NFL

In case you haven’t heard, the Philadelphia Eagles were a very good rushing team in 2021. They recorded the most rushing yards of any team in the NFL, the second-most rushing attempts – say it with me, one fewer than the Tennessee Titans – and, as just about anyone can attest, literally dominated games down the stretch with a strong run game called by Shane Steichen.

Sure, some will suggest that the Eagles’ running backs room is only average when compared to their NFC East peers, as the Cowboys and the Washington Commanders probably have a bit more overall talent; when you factor in Jalen Hurts, the fast-running power back in a quarterback’s body, the Eagles shoot up to number 1 with a bullet.

Hurts ran for more yards than all but 21 players in the NFL and outperformed every other quarterback, even Lamar Jackson, with 784 yards on the ground.

But what if I were to tell you Hurts’ yards weren’t just superficial efforts to pick up a few yards before running out of bounds or sliding to a whistle? What if Hurts was genuinely booking it with all of his heart in order to leave it all on the field for his Philadelphia Eagles teammates? Well, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, that appears to be the case, as the pride of OklaBama ranked first in the NFL in rushing explosiveness.

Jalen Hurts is a powerful part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ run game.

Alright, so without further ado, here is the graphic in question; the graphic that showcases just how explosive a runner Jalen Hurts was for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.

Nice, it’s always fun to see a Philadelphia Eagles player headline a list, especially if it’s a quarterback leading a list almost exclusively comprised of running backs. So what does that mean? Well, the corresponding piece, written by Nick Shook, provides some additional information, including the following criteria:

"To review, here are our three criteria:A minimum of 100 carries in 2021.At least 20 carries of 10-plus yards.The defining metrics: the total number and percentage of 15-plus mph runs."

Noted, so where does Hurts fall into that formula?

Well, of the 139 times the Eagles quarterback ran the ball, Hurts reached 15 miles per hour on 78 of them, or 56.1 percent of his total attempts, a mark that ranked first league-wide. He led the league in quarterback runs, yards off of quarterback runs, and expected points gained off of quarterback runs, and, when coupled with another incredibly explosive player, Miles Sanders – who Shook mentioned almost made the list as well – produced one of the most dynamic read-options over the 2021 NFL season, or any season really, considering the relative newness of the play.

Factor in his 29 runs for 10 yards or more, and Hurts is unquestionably deserving of a spot on this very list, even if some will give pause to placing anyone over Jonathan Taylor.

What’s that old saying, people lie, but numbers don’t?

At the end of the day, stats aren’t everything. A player can have an exemplary individual year on a bad team or even put up big numbers only to fall off in a major way shortly thereafter- just ask Jason Babin. While Jalen Hurts’ abilities as a runner aren’t going to go away any time soon, that’s always going to be there, like a one-man check down. For the Philadelphia Eagles to take a step forward, Hurts needs to develop as a passer and put the suggestions of playing quarterback like a point guard into practice.