Rival executive shares what's underrated about Eagles' Jalen Hurts

Takes about whether or not quarterback Jalen Hurts is merely a game manager hovered over the Philadelphia Eagles long before he produced unspectacular stats in back-to-back wins to open the 2025 season. 

For a piece published on Tuesday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic spoke with an unnamed rival executive about what Hurts accomplished over the first two weeks of the ongoing campaign. 

How Jalen Hurts is underrated despite Super Bowl win

"He is a killer," that executive said about Hurts. "His toughness and makeup are so underrated. He’s got so many competitive things about him that make him special. We concern ourselves so much about arm talent and then just completely underrate the intangibles at the position. When you were around him in the draft process, you were never going to bet against him, and the rest of the team reflects that, too."

In Philadelphia's 24-20 Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4, Hurts completed 19-of-23 pass attempts for 152 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. However, he added 62 rushing yards and two scores on the ground in that prime-time matchup. 

More recently, Hurts connected on 15-of-22 passes for 101 yards in Philadelphia's 20-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs this past Sunday. He also notched a "tush push" touchdown carry midway through the fourth quarter of that contest. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Hurts ended Week 2 of the season ranked 10th in the NFL among qualified players with a 71.6 adjusted QBR, 24th with an 88.5 passer rating and 31st with 253 passing yards. To compare, Russell Wilson of the New York Giants began Tuesday leading the league with 618 yards through the air. The Giants lost their first two games of the campaign. 

Results are what matter to Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

One league executive noted in The Athletic article that Hurts "has been a perfect fit for the Eagles’ system." There's no indication that will stop being the case anytime soon, as Hurts showed this past February that he can step up on the biggest of stages when he earned Super Bowl LIX Most Valuable Player Award honors. 

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Eagles fourth among the betting favorites at +750 odds to win Super Bowl LX. At that same time, ESPN BET had Philadelphia as a 3.5-point favorite for this coming Sunday's home game against the 2-0 Los Angeles Rams.