Jalen Hurts assigns blame for Eagles' offensive struggles

While the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have started their title defense with back-to-back wins, quarterback Jalen Hurts has once again come under the microscope after he posted unspectacular numbers over those victories. 

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Hurts acknowledged he's "very critical" of himself regarding what went wrong for the Philadelphia offense across the first two weeks of the campaign. 

Jalen Hurts takes accountability for passing-game issues

"I take accountability for a lot of it, how we go out there," Hurts explained, per Johnny McGonigal of PennLive. "Because that’s my job. My job is to be the general, to orchestrate everything and make plays. Given the opportunities that we had, I’m very critical of myself of trying to make the most of what’s given to us. There’s definitely some evolution that we can do. There’s definitely some things that we can grow in. And we’re on all of those things."

Hurts completed 19-of-23 passes for 152 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in Philadelphia's 24-20 Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4. He also contributed 62 rushing yards and two scores on the ground in that game. 

This past Sunday, Hurts recorded a "tush push" touchdown carry and connected on 15-of-22 pass attempts for 101 yards in Philadelphia's 20-17 win at the Kansas City Chiefs. 

According to ESPN stats, the Eagles rank 29th in the NFL with an average of 259 offensive yards per game and 31st with an average of 119 passing yards per contest. Earlier this week, Brooks Kubena of The Athletic noted that the Eagles have been "telegraphing their offensive tendencies" this season after they promoted Kevin Patullo from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator following Kellen Moore's departure. 

Moore left Philadelphia to become head coach of the New Orleans Saints this past winter. 

"If the Eagles are in a pistol or under-center set, they almost always run," Kubena wrote. "If they’re in the shotgun, they sparingly run."

Jalen Hurts opens up about expectations for Eagles

"There’s a template, so I think expectations are fair," Hurts added. "Ultimately, it’s about winning. But when we look at what we’re capable of, we know what we’re capable of. Given this new season, this new team, offensive leadership looking different, you grow into that. We’re confident in where we can go."

As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had the unbeaten Eagles as 3.5-point favorites for this coming Sunday's home game against the 2-0 Los Angeles Rams. It could be interesting to see how Hurts and Co. respond if that matchup turns into a shootout at Lincoln Financial Field.