Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts praises team effort in dominant win

The Philadelphia Eagles secured a win in Week One over the Detroit Lions, but it was clear that there was more to prove both for quarterback Jalen Hurts and as a total unit. Monday night, the entire team did just that.

In one of the most complete victories the Eagles have seen in quite some time, the entire team dominated the Minnesota Vikings from start to finish. Jalen Hurts, in particular, had an impressive day that saw him rack up 390 total yards, three total touchdowns, and a 108.7 passer rating.

Hurts was not interested in receiving his much-deserved praise, however, as he quickly put the focus on the ability of the rest of the team and their contributions to the convincing victory.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts praises team in dominant win.

This type of team-focused attitude is nothing new for Hurts; it’s just one more example of his impressive leadership ability — the type of ability that is of a true franchise cornerstone.

As much as Hurts deserves praise for pulling focus off of himself and placing it on the rest of the team, it’s also right that he does. He wasn’t just lauding his team but giving credit where credit was due.

Besides their young star quarterback, the Eagles saw impressive performances from Miles Sanders (80 yards, 4.6 avg), Dallas Goedert (82 yards, 16.4 avg), and Devonta Smith (80 yards, 11.4 avg). This isn’t even to mention the impressive night by the offensive line — penalties aside.

Then, as Hurts put it, on the other side, the Philadelphia Eagles looked completely transformed compared to their performance against the Detroit Lions. There were several players who proved themselves in this game, but it all came down to a change in philosophy.

Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon called the defense like he was a completely different person. As opposed to the standard prevent mentality that he has shown in the past, there was much more aggression shown by the team, which made gave the defense the opportunity to show a bit more of what they’re capable of.

The influx of aggression may have only led to two sacks — a result of a still questionable pass rush — however, the added pressure clearly impacted Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who suffered three interceptions and a fumble — recovered by Irv Smith.

Players who thrived in this aggressive setting include T.J. Edwards (ten combined tackles), Josh Sweat (one sack, three tackles for loss), and of course, the defensive MVP, Darius Slay.

The star cornerback put on perhaps his most impressive performance yet for the Philadelphia Eagles. Two of Cousins’ three interceptions were snatched by Slay, and he perhaps could have had even more.

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Not to get selfish, of course.

When looking at the game in its totality, Jalen Hurts was absolutely correct in his statement qualifying the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory against the Vikings as a team win.