Should the Eagles be concerned about Jalen Hurts?
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings 34-28 on "Thursday Night Football," but they didn't lean on quarterback Jalen Hurts for the second week in a row.
After a sloppy Week 1, Hurts looked like he was still shaking away offseason cobwebs, leading the Eagles to change their strategy against the Vikings.
Hurts led the Eagles to a field goal on their opening drive, but the Vikings defense clamped down, dropping an extra man in coverage to eliminate the passing game. After a punt on the Eagles' next possession, Hurts threw an interception to Vikings safety Theo Jackson. Following the turnover, Philly committed to the run, leaving Hurts to play game manager.
Hurts did show flashes of last season's brilliance, hooking up with wideout DeVonta Smith on a 63-yard touchdown in the third quarter. However, Hurts took a backseat to D'Andre Swift and the running game. Swift carried the football 28 times for 175 yards and a touchdown, while Philly, as a whole, gained 259 of their 430 total yards on the ground.
It's not that Hurts was necessarily bad against the Vikings. It's more about his involvement in the offense itself on Thursday. Hurts threw the ball only 23 times, completing 18 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Meanwhile, Hurts rushed 12 times for 35 yards and two touchdowns, though both came on one-yard scores at the goal line.
Hurts' struggles led to a disagreement with wideout A.J. Brown on the sidelines, which had to be broken up by head coach Nick Sirianni. Brown seemed upset that Hurts wasn't looking his way, having received only one target to that point.
The Vikings couldn't stop the Eagles on the ground, so Philly naturally took advantage. However, a 48-23 run-to-pass disparity differs from what many expected in Week 2 with Hurts at quarterback. Regardless, the Eagles are undefeated after two weeks, winning games that easily could've gone the other way. Yet, Hurts' play might become a concern if contests like Thursday's turn into losses.
Through two weeks, Hurts has yet to surpass 200 yards passing in a game, something that happened only four times in 2022 and just once back-to-back. Meanwhile, he's committed two turnovers this season, which he only reached in Week 7 last season.
Whether it's still getting on the same page with first-year offensive coordinator Brian Johnson or a Super Bowl hangover for Hurts, the Eagles have to get him right if they plan to be contenders.
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