Dan Orlovsky Has Strong Words for Jalen Hurts After Eagles Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 1:03 PM ET

Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles took down the Dallas Cowboys on the opening night of the 2025 NFL season on Thursday. The Eagles scored on all of their first four drives as their offense looked unstoppable early.

Hurts did not throw for any touchdowns, but he made the right plays when he needed to, especially with his legs, to get the job done at home.

On Friday, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky spoke on Hurts' play against the Cowboys and gave his biggest takeaways from the game.

"Jalen was perfect," Orlovsky said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "You play as perfect a game as you can, given what's asked of you. Carried the team in many ways. He just is one of those guys that just seems to do whatever it takes to win the football game."

Hurts was 19-of-23 passing for 152 yards while carrying the ball 14 times for 62 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hurts' performance was a big boost for the Eagles' running game, which saw Saquon Barkley held in check with just 60 yards on the ground.

The sixth-year quarterback was only sacked once, as he escaped the pocket on several occasions.

"I think if you're Philly, you're like, 'Our quarterback looked absolutely fantastic,'" Orlovsky continued.

While he didn't have the biggest statistical output, Hurts did what he needed to do for the Eagles to get a win against their divisional rival. With this victory, head coach Nick Sirianni and the Eagles begin their Super Bowl defense on the right foot.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: