Overrated and Hurting: Jalen Hurts’ Decline with the Eagles

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

No one knows how Jalen Hurts will look coming out of concussion protocol after essentially missing the last three games. Everyone seems to be optimistic, but I don’t see why. Looking at his past four games, the Eagles did beat the Ravens, but that was only because Justin Tucker, usually Mr. Reliable, gifted them seven points with his missed kicks. The Ravens beat the Eagles in every statistical category otherwise. The Eagles mostly relied on Shaq One for offense.

The Panthers game was a disaster. Jalen Hurts was called out afterward by Brandon Graham, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith. Brown was very vocal about being open repeatedly, while Hurts seemed frozen in the pocket, not delivering the ball. The Eagles won only because Xavier Legette dropped a pass at the goal line in the final seconds.

As Jeff Nyberg said in The Inquiry, “Before the Steelers game, the passing game had come under scrutiny.” Hurts finally showed something resembling his old 2022 form in that game. He looked good.

Then came the Commanders game, where he went 1-for-4 before getting injured on a head-first slide he never should have made.

So, in the Ravens game and particularly the Panthers game, he did not look good. He didn’t look good at the beginning of the Commanders game or in making that slide. He did look good against the Steelers. That’s one good performance out of four games. This is no cause for optimism, Eagles fans! I admit I veer toward pessimism when it comes to the Eagles to protect myself from unrealistic expectations.

In those four games, the Eagles’ defense was shredded by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ running game. They also gave up 98-yard drives to rookie quarterbacks with the Panthers and Commanders. Except for that drop I mentioned above, the Eagles should have lost both games. Yes, they looked good against the Steelers, but that’s still only one good performance out of four.

The Eagles tend to do better on the road than at home. The boos will cascade down again if Kellen Moore and Hurts don’t score in the first quarter, as has been their habit. The high expectations of the fan base seem to increase pressure on Hurts, who does not always respond well to it.

I hope I’m wrong, but it looks like they’re going to lose this game.