Ralph Vacchiano
NFL Reporter
Jalen Hurts has had no problem with the Philadelphia Eagles building around Saquon Barkley. All that mattered to him was victory. If he just acts as game manager and keeps winning like he has done in the first two weeks of the playoffs, that’s fine. No matter what happens.
But if the Eagles are to advance to their second Super Bowl in three seasons, they will certainly need a lot more than a quarterback.
There are no outward signs of concern in Philadelphia as the Eagles are scheduled to play host to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, but perhaps Hurts’ mediocre and at times surprising performance in his first two postseason games will have to do with it. The total distance he threw was only 259 yards. He took nine sacks, including seven in the divisional round against the Rams. And he looks nothing like himself.
The hurting man swears he has no rust from the effects of the concussion he suffered at Washington on Dec. 22 or from missing the final two games of the regular season. And he didn’t blame anything on the injured finger on his left (non-throwing) hand, nor did he acknowledge that his lack of mobility in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Rams was due to his injured left knee.
But it’s clear that something is wrong. And after a game in which the Eagles recorded just 65 passing yards, even Hurts acknowledged that he and the passing game are capable of much more.
“Our performance today was good enough to win, but it is never good enough for the standards we have and what we want to do,” he said. “There is always a desire for more and an urge to continue to improve and that will continue to be the case. At this point in the season, the most important thing is about improvement.”
But right now, Hurts is clearly trending in the wrong direction. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 131 yards (and two touchdowns) in a 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round two weeks ago. He also ran for 10 yards only twice in that game. Then, against the Rams in sometimes windy and cold weather, he ran seven more carries for 63 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown, but his passes were well off. He was 15 of 20 for 128 yards.
Thanks to Barkley’s 205 rushing yards, it was still enough. And there were no signs of concern in the locker room after the game, not even from top receiver AJ Brown, who caught just two passes for 14 yards despite being targeted seven times.
Brown, who dropped one easy-to-catch pass, insisted “we have to give this game a pass” because of difficult weather conditions, but that didn’t really become a factor until the second half. Additionally, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 324 yards and nearly led a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback under those same conditions. And conditions don’t necessarily account for the hurt standing in the pocket like a statue, taking more sacks than the last three games combined, including a safety late in the third quarter.
Even offensive coordinator Kellen Moore admitted the performance was “less than ideal.”
“I think we have to evaluate it from a big picture perspective,” he said. “Then we look at all the details. There are so many sacks on our side. I focus on how I can help this process and put myself in better situations with some play calls. I’ll dig into some of those situations. It’s really deep.”
Obviously, the play wasn’t good against the Rams. But that doesn’t account for the hurt of overthrowing a wide-open Brown near the sideline or missing him later with a throw to the wrong side. That doesn’t account for the barely moving Hurts as Rams defensive tackle Neville Gallimore fired up the middle with 26 seconds left in the third and was tackled in the end zone, or the same was done by defensive tackle Kobie Turner with 2:36 left in the third. Leaving it in the fourth could have ended up costing them the game.
Hurts, at the top of his game, is difficult for defenses to catch. He is accurate when he throws. He is determined. He creates plays outside the pocket. He has a strong arm and can connect on deep passes as well. That’s how he got to Super Bowl LVII two years ago.
That doesn’t happen now.
To be fair, Moore said Hurts did a “great job” with his reads and decisions. He said he showed his value as an option in the running game, which paved the way for Barkley’s big game. And he insisted Hurts played “really clean” against the Rams and avoided costly mistakes.
It’s true. But it also explains the role of the game administrator. And the Eagles aren’t paying Hurts $51 million a year just to make it happen.
But two years ago, Hurts performed similarly poorly through the first two rounds of the playoffs. But he certainly seemed better that way. And the Eagles could see he was in a higher gear in reserve after a near-MVP regular season, when he threw for 304 yards and a touchdown and 70 yards and three touchdowns in a Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. It showed when I ran.
Watching Hurts throw and hobble the last two weeks, it’s hard to believe similar reserves still exist. He currently doesn’t look like a quarterback who can carry a team when needed, despite his coaches and teammates continuing to insist that he is.
“I expect him to come out and do what he does,” Brown said. “He is a warrior.”
Hurts is needed, especially against a hot Commanders team with a young quarterback in Jayden Daniels who has performed well in the playoffs so far. The rookie threw for 567 yards and four touchdowns in two games, and had 87 more yards. He’s now leading the team the way Hurts has consistently done.
The Eagles don’t think they need him to do that anymore. They’ve had Barkley on their shoulders for most of the season and think they can make it all the way to the Super Bowl. But without Hurts contributing more and without him showing at least some of his old MVP form, it will become increasingly difficult for them to win the championship they seek.
Because quarterback game managers don’t often win championships in this sport. And the Eagles know it. This is why they signed Hurts to a $255 million contract. Now they need him to make money, whether they admit it or not.
And Hurts needs to remind everyone that the Eagles are more than just a one-man show.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously covered the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York for six years, and previously covered the Giants and NFL for the New York Daily News for 16 years. Follow him on Twitter @RalphVacchiano.
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