Jalen Hurts mastering a unique role as Eagles keep winning originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Nick Sirianni didn’t wait till someone asked about Jalen Hurts.
He answered the question before it was asked.
In the box score, Hurts’ numbers look pedestrian. He completed 11 of 19 passes in Baltimore Sunday for 118 yards with a touchdown, no turnovers and no completions over 17 yards. He also ran for four first downs – 3rd-most this year against the Ravens (behind Najee Harris and Saquon Barkley).
In the second half, he was 2-for-5 for 14 yards.
They may not be MVP numbers and they may not be Pro Bowl numbers, but they’re winning numbers.
Hurts is now 44-19 in his career. Only nine quarterbacks in NFL history won more games in their first 63 starts.
“I can’t say enough good things about how Jalen played in that football game, even though the stat sheet is not going to reflect that,” Sirianni said after the Eagles beat the Ravens in Baltimore for their eighth straight win.
“He was freaking on. He was on (with) how we managed the game in the fourth quarter. He was on with the runs that we made. He was on in the scrambles he made. He was on in the checks that he’s made. He was on in the third-down conversions that we hit, and the passes that he hit.
“This dude’s a winner. He continues to play good football through our stretch.”
It’s been quite an unusual stretch for Hurts, who hasn’t put up gaudy numbers at any point during this eight-game winning streak but has played virtually mistake-free football throughout.
Since Week 5, when the Eagles returned from their bye and began this streak, Hurts has completed 69 percent of his passes, thrown 10 touchdowns to one interception and rushed for 10 touchdowns, and his 114.1 passer rating during that span is 4th-highest in the league.
And that’s averaging 15 completions, 21 ½ pass attempts and 196 yards per game.
Game manager? Sure. But that’s not a bad thing.
“I just think it’s a term,” Hurts said. “Everybody can be called that depending on the day, but the reality is, everyone that plays a position is asked to manage a game to an extent. So it’s the quarterback’s job to go out there and do what he’s asked to do: Execute, play clean football and initiate the plays that are called.”
And Hurts has been doing that.
The last quarterback to win eight straight starts without throwing 30 passes in any of those games? Ironically, it was Lamar Jackson in the middle eight games of a 10-game winning streak in 2019.
Sirianni said he was especially impressed with Hurts’ work on the fourth quarter drive that ran the clock down from 6:11 to 1:07 and culminated in a Jake Elliott field goal that gave the Eagles a 24-12 lead.
“You can’t say enough good things about how Jalen managed that four-minute,” Sirianni said. “You’ll say, ‘Well, game manager,’ That’s all B.S. Jalen played an awesome game. His stats are going to say, ‘We didn’t throw it a lot.’ We were 11 of 19. He had 118 yards.’
“But that guy made runs when he needed to make runs. He made good checks. He managed the game in a four-minute to take the clock down to use as much time as he can.”
In the second half of these eight games, he’s thrown just 58 passes, 35th-most in the league during that span, which is hilarious considering there are only 32 teams.
But he’s completed 40 of those 58 passes for 669 yards with four TDs and no interceptions and a 130.6 passer rating – highest in the NFL since Week 5.
In the fourth quarter of the eight straight wins, he’s 17-for-21 for 279 yards, two TDs, no INTs and a 150.5 passer rating. Along with eight rushing first downs and three TDs.
Yes, he’s thrown four incomplete passes in the fourth quarter since Week 5.
These numbers are mind-blowing.
He may not be asked to do a ton, but what he’s being asked to do, he’s doing at an extremely high level.
“We haven’t thrown in a lot in the fourth quarter in the past month and a half of the season,” Sirianni said. “Jalen’s stats aren’t going to say this, but Jalen deserves – like Saquon deserves – being (in the) MVP consideration. Jalen Hurts deserves to be an MVP consideration because of how clean a football game he’s playing.
“Look at his quarterback rating throughout the last month and a half of the season. Jalen Hurts is a winner, playing great football. He may not have the stats, but because his team’s winning in the fourth quarter. He doesn’t get to make those stats.”
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