They wanted to make Jalen Hurts beat them as a quarterback.
That’s what Tennessee star defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons (who was a monster on Sunday) said about the Eagles’ star QB ahead of the Birds’ come-from-behind 24-20 win on Sunday that was orchestrated by Hurts’ arm and, in no small measure, a wonderful game by a wide receiver corps filled with question marks.
The plan was simple: keep Hurts in the pocket and, as Simmons said, “make Jalen Hurts be a QB.”
Hurts was not perfect. He almost never
is. He threw two interceptions, one of which was almost returned for a 90+ yard pick-six and the other late in the fourth quarter as he was hit while he was throwing. They were uncharacteristic of him, but in the new Sean Mannion offense, we may have to get used to things like this.
But for most of the game and, most importantly, in their final drive, Hurts was masterful. He was 26-for-37 passing with 264 yards and two touchdowns and, with under two minutes remaining and trailing 20-17, went 6-for-8 on a 65-yard drive that culminated in 3-yard touchdown to Darius Cooper with 9 seconds left.
It was not an easy game. The Titans were fired up and the Eagles had never won a game in Tennessee since the Houston Oilers moved to Nissan Stadium in 1999. It was also about 357 degrees Farenheit on the field. Players’ cleats were melting.
Hurts also had to deal with an offensive line that is still finding its footing in the new Mannion scheme. He was under pressure for much of the day, yet managed to pass his way through it.
With Landon Dickerson out, the Eagles moved Cam Jurgens from center to left guard and started Drew Kendall at center. That didn’t seem to work out too well. The running game provided little support, averaging 2.8 yards per attempt. Saquon Barkley missed almost the entire first half with a stinger and finished with just 9 yards on 4 attempts. Tank Bigsby scored a touchdown on the ground but managed just 33 yards on 13 carries. Will Shipley added 24 yards on 7 carries.
So, it was all on Hurts.
Hurts threw over the middle of the field more, threading the needle in some cases and layering passes over linebackers in others. There were times he took too long to get rid of the ball, but also seemed more inclined to let it rip than in seasons past.
He was also aided by his top two veteran wide receivers, as well as a second-year training camp star.
DeVonta Smith showed why everyone was excited for him to take over as WR1. He hauled in 10 of his 13 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown, making several acrobatic catches in traffic along the way. Especially clutch was his last catch of the day on the final drive.
One of the more important developments early in the season is the play of Dontayvion Wicks, who is emerging as a more-than viable No. 2. He caught 5 of his 6 targets for 74 yards, including a 27-yarder that helped get the Eagles’ offense moving early.
And while Cooper did not pile up big stats on Sunday, he did come up with the biggest catch of the day in the game’s final seconds, and even Makai Lemon showed up with a clutch 14-yard catch. Hurts completed passes to nine different players, an offensive coordinator’s dream.
Hurts will never be confused with Joe Montana, but he is proving to be one of the most adaptable QBs in franchise history. It’s only been two games, and we haven’t truly seen Mannion’s offense “work” yet. The running game needs to be functional in order for that to happen. In the meantime, Hurts is doing more than enough inside the system and, improvisationally, to win.
Yes, it feels a lot like last year still. It seems unlikely the Eagles are going be blowing people out this year, at least not yet. In the meantime, Hurts is showing that, after an off-season of uncertainty, he can handle the heat.
