Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts’ game brings more questions than answers
It’s hard to argue that the most polarizing athlete in Philadelphia at the moment is the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts.
As stated in previous articles, there are two camps when it comes to the third-year QB, the people that love him and the people who think he can’t get the job done; his performance in week one did nothing to move either side.
Jalen had more ups and downs throughout four quarters of football than any rollercoaster you’ll find at an amusement park. He showed flashes of brilliance with his arm and legs but also missed quite a few easy throws and was vacating the pocket early at times. In a strange way, both sides of the Jalen Hurts argument were validated in week one.
Questions still surround Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts started off the game rough with his arm going 0/5 on the first drive. While he did make some plays with his legs he wasn’t able to buy a completion. His legs helped get the birds down to the Lions 40 yard line but ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
After getting gashed on the first drive the defense put the clamps on and got the ball back for the Eagles offense, Hurts took the field and caught fire. He went 6 of 7 on the drive for 77 yards and capped it off with a rushing touchdown off of an RPO.
Hurts certainly didn’t have it easy on the day, the Lions sent the blitz early and often, forcing him to vacate the pocket and use his legs to keep plays alive.
The up-and-down quarterbacking continued throughout the game for Hurts. He threw an absolute gem of a ball to A.J Brown down the right sideline and hit his tight end Dallas Goedert for a big 27-yard gain; but missed bad on a pass to Kenneth Gainwell that would have been a touchdown and barely acknowledged the existence of Quez Watkins targeting him zero times.
On paper, Hurts stats for the day looked solid. He accounted for over 300 yards of offense and found his way into the end zone once, but his completion rate and only targeting Zach Pascal, Devonta Smith and Quez Watkins 5 times total is troubling.
This game left us all with more questions than answers about Jalen Hurts as the Eagles franchise quarterback. Are his legs and his innate leadership enough to overcome deficiencies with his arm strength, or will his issues with accuracy (58% completion rate and 13 INTs in 20 starts) and reading the field continue to plague him?
The real litmus test will come in the Philadelphia Eagles’ home opener, a Monday Night Football showdown with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings put on a clinic against the Packers in week one, neutralizing the Green Bay offense, holding them to 7 points and forcing a pair of turnovers.
Next. 3 observations from the win over the Lions. dark
If Hurts can lead the team to victory against a quality opponent, it may go a long way in putting some doubts to rest. Until then Philadelphia Eagles fans will be every bit as unsure about him as they were when last season ended.