Commanders Defense Looking to Stop Eagles QB Jalen Hurts' Hot Streak

The Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback has done well against pressure lately and the Washington Commanders are out to stop that trend.

Oct 15, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) looks to pass while pressured by New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II (30) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders last lost a game in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens.

The next week, in a matchup against the Carolina Panthers, the Commanders put 40 points on their opponent. An effort that helped wash away any hard feelings from the previous week's defeat.

Washington was able to pull off a victory in Week 2 as well after losing its first game of the year the week prior to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It wasn't as dominant on the scoreboard, but still, it felt good.

This week, coming off a Week 10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Commanders will look to bounce back with a win once again. Only this time it won't be against a team trending south, or a quarterback nobody believes is the future of that franchise. Instead, it'll be Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts who has been nothing short of stellar over the past month.

"One of the things that jumps out to me from Philadelphia, you gotta be able to play two downs, meaning [Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen] Hurts can extend outta the play on a passing play to extend it as a passer and running and you have to be ready to play four down football," Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said as his team prepares to face the Eagles for the first time this season. "And that's been a philosophy of Philadelphia for a number of years. And so those are two things that jump out that will be important part of this game plan."

Extending plays has long been viewed as an added bonus to any capable quarterback's abilities. In today's NFL, it's almost a prerequisite. Not only has Hurts been one of the better quarterbacks in extending one play into two, he's also stepping up to opponents trying to turn the heat up on him over the past month or so.

According to Zebra Sports, Hurts was pressured on a season-high 53.6 percent of his dropbacks in Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys and still managed to complete all but two pass attempts against that pressure racking up 115 yards and throwing two touchdowns in the process.

Additionally, since Week 3 Hurts has thrown four touchdowns while under pressure and hasn't thrown a single interception. He's also run for eight touchdowns in the past four outings, the most of any quarterback in a four-game stretch in the Super Bowl era.

Of course, there are different ways for teams to get pressure on a quarterback and the Washington coaching staff is hard at work studying what has and hasn't worked over the previous 10 weeks against Philadelphia to see where they can find a solution to pouring some cold water on Hurts' hot streak.

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