In Roob’s Eagles Observations: How Jalen Hurts is responding to a new role originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
How the Eagles’ run-first offense is bringing out the best in Jalen Hurts, an underrated guy on the defense and an all-time Eagle that Jalen Carter reminds me of.
It’s Thanksgiving Week but more importantly it’s Eagles-Ravens Week, and we’ve got a fresh helping of Roob’s Random Eagles Observations for your reading enjoyment.
1. The Eagles have never had a winning streak quite like this. Where the quarterback hasn’t been asked to carry the team. At least not since 1949. That was 75 years ago and it’s the last time the Eagles won seven games in a row without the QB throwing 30 passes in any of those wins. In the 1949 NFL Championship season, the Eagles won eight straight after an 0-1-1 start, and quarterback Tommy Thompson never threw more than 24 passes during that span. Things have changed a bit since then. Hurts threw 34 and 38 passes in the Eagles’ first two wins this year, but since the Eagles truly committed to being a run-first team, he’s averaged only 21 pass attempts per game. That’s the lowest figure during an Eagles winning streak since Thompson averaged 17.6 back in 1949. For the sake of comparison, when the Eagles won eight straight in 2022, Hurts averaged 30 passes per game. Carson Wentz averaged 30 pass attempts during the Eagles’ nine-game winning streak in 2017, Donovan McNabb averaged 35 passes during a seven-game winning streak in 2004 and Jaws was at 25 per game during an eight-game streak in 1980. Hurts isn’t being asked to carry the offense, but when he has thrown the football, he’s been terrific. Big throws at big moments, deep balls at a higher clip than any other NFL quarterback, running to move the sticks at the right time, avoiding mistakes and letting Saquon Barkley and the ground attack take over. During the seven-game winning streak, Hurts has a 116.6 passer rating – 3rd-highest in the league behind Lamar Jackson, the Eagles’ opponent Sunday, and Jared Goff. He’s completing 70 percent of his passes with nine TDs and one INT. The only Eagles QBs with higher passer ratings over any seven-game span are Nick Foles in 2013 and Hurts himself in 2022. But it wouldn’t be fair to say he’s just managing games. He’s thrown seven 40-yard passes during that span, 3rd-most in the league, and he’s averaging 8.3 yards per attempt, 4th-highest in the league. So he’s been aggressive, efficient and productive without a high volume of pass attempts. If that’s not a formula for winning, I don’t know what is.
2. Saquon Barkley played 87 games for the Giants, and he’s played 11 games for the Eagles. He had 145 or more rushing yards five times with the Giants. He has 145 or more rushing yards five times with the Eagles.
3. Maybe he’s gotten a little overshadowed by the two outstanding rookie defensive backs, but Reed Blankenship is quietly having a terrific season. He’s got a 49.3 defensive passer rating, 3rd-lowest of 54 safeties who’ve been targeted at least 20 times (behind only the Lions’ Kerby Joseph and the Packers’ Xavier McKinney), and he’s one of only three safeties who hasn’t allowed a touchdown and has three or more interceptions (along with Joseph and McKinney). Stathead has only been tracking defensive passer ratings since 2018, but Blankenship’s 49.3 would be the lowest by an Eagle defensive back over a full season. Pro Football Focus has Blankenship ranked similarly. Of 89 safeties who’ve played at least 200 snaps, his 78.9 grade is 8th-highest. Only two homegrown undrafted position players have made a Pro Bowl for the Eagles since 1955: Tight end Chad Lewis in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and safety Quintin Mikell in 2009. But Blankenship is building up a nice case for himself along with guys like Joseph, McKinney and Brian Branch.
4. The Eagles have won a franchise-record four road games by at least 17 points this year. Only seven teams in NFL history have ever won more in a season.
5. Jalen Carter’s season reminds me of Jerome Brown’s 1990 season. Jerome didn’t put up huge stats that year – just one sack – but he was so disruptive, so dominating, so difficult to block that he made 1st-team all-pro. Carter has 3 ½ sacks, seven tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits and a forced fumble, and those numbers are fine. But they don’t even begin to measure just how well he’s playing. Carter is constantly double-teamed, which allows everybody else up front to make plays, and he’s a brick wall against the run. He’s just relentless. And it’s amazing how far Carter has come with his conditioning. He’s playing 81 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, and only Chris Jones, the Chiefs’ five-time Pro Bowler, is playing more among interior linemen. Last year Carter played 49 percent of the snaps, so he’s jumped from 35 per game to 50 with no dropoff late in games. That makes him even more valuable. What a beast. And he’s 23. Fletcher Cox and Brown both made their first Pro Bowl in their fourth season. If Carter doesn’t make it this year in his second season, it’ll be an outrage.
6. With two road games left this year, the Eagles are 23-9 on the road in four years under Nick Sirianni. The Eagles’ most road wins in a four-year span is 25. They were 25-7 from 2000 through 2003 and also from 2001 through 2004. Their next-best four-year road record is 20-12 from 1988 through 1991. So they’ve already clinched the 3rd-best four-year road record in franchise history.
7. Checking in from the Kenny Gainwell Appreciation Society. How about Gainwell’s last three games? Sixteen carries for 5.9 yards per carry with a touchdown. The last two weeks in particular, Gainwell has come up huge in critical situations. In the Washington game, it was his three straight carries for 34 yards while Saquon Barkley was getting a break from the Commanders’ 34-yard-line down to the 4 to set up Jalen Hurts’ go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter, and Sunday night in L.A. it was a 13-yard touchdown in the third quarter to turn a one-possession game into a 13-point lead. It was his 2nd-longest regular-season rushing TD (4th-longest overall). I still think Gainwell could be a RB1. He’s unsigned beyond this year, so maybe he’ll get that opportunity. But he’s perfect in his current role backing up a third different Pro Bowl running back. He’s a guy that can enter a game cold and produce, he never complains about touches or carries or playing time and he’s got the rushing, receiving and blocking ability that allows him to play on any down or against any front. Gainwell has been so consistent since he got here – he’s one of only three NFL running backs who’s rushed for at least 200 yards with an average of 4.3 or better in each of the last four years. The others are Aaron Jones and Jonathan Taylor. Not bad company. I love Gainwell’s attitude. You know he wants to play more, but he’s backing up the best running back in the world, he’s playing a significant role as a backup and he’s heading for the playoffs for a fourth straight year. I’ll take Kenny G. on my team any day.
8A. The Eagles started 9-2 or better six times in the franchise’s first 89 years. They’ve started the last three seasons: 10-1, 10-1 and 9-2.
8B. So much for that ‘training camp is too easy’ narrative.
9A. Isaiah Rodgers has played 1,190 defensive snaps in his career, and that ridiculous pass interference call on Puka Nacua last Sunday was the first of his career. He was called for tripping as a rookie with the Colts in 2020 and a facemask in 2021 but never a DPI. Including special teams snaps, that’s three penalties on 1,773 career snaps, which is the sign of an intelligent, disciplined and talented player.
9B. Vic Fangio said something pretty interesting on Tuesday. When asked why Rodgers has been playing corner and not Kelee Ringo when Darius Slay has been hurt, Fangio said, “They’re close. I think Isaiah from Day One of OTAs through training camp has covered a little bit better. But they’re close.” Interesting because Rodgers isn’t signed beyond this year but Ringo has two years left on his rookie deal. And if the Eagles move on from Slay next year – and he’ll be 34 in January – there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to sign Rodgers or that he’ll want to come back here. And having Ringo as a viable option could give the Eagles some leverage in negotiations with Rodgers. I like Rodgers but I like Ringo, too. Heck, Cooper DeJean could play outside corner, too, although you’d be crazy to move him out of the slot. But the Eagles definitely have some intriguing options.
10. Brandon Graham was playing 28 snaps per game, and Fangio dropped some hints earlier this week about how he would replace them. He said he doesn’t want Sweat playing more than the 39 snaps per game he’s playing but said he thinks Nolan Smith could bump up a little from his 27 snaps per game. Charles Harris has been playing 47 snaps per game for the Panthers so he’s in game shape, and edge is a position where newcomers don’t need a ton of time before they can contribute. I’d expect Harris to start with maybe 15 to 20 snaps Sunday in Baltimore – more if he picks things up quickly – Smith to increase maybe half a dozen snaps and Jalyx Hunt to pick up the rest of the slack. No question the Eagles will miss B.G. in a lot of ways, but with Harris, Smith, Hunt and practice squad edge Tarron Jackson if they need him, they’re in decent shape trying to replace those snaps.
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