Relentless Jalen Hurts Makes Eagles An All-Day Problem

The Eagles QB had an uncharacteristically poor performance against Green Bay but was there in the end to lift his team to victory.

Sep 6, 2024; Sao Paulo, BRA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) scrambles during the first half against the Green Bay Packers at Neo Quimica Arena. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - Those jumping on their swords for Jalen Hurts need not expend the energy. That's because the Eagles' quarterback is aware that his turnover-worthy throws are not acceptable.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hurts was the worst QB in the NFL through Sunday's game action in a sloppy Week 1 of action across the league and the fourth-year starter's grade was his worst as the QB1 of the Eagles, something directly tied to his four turnover-worthy throws that were had a theme: late decision-making.

Hurts was responsible for three turnovers against the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and took accountability for his uncharacteristic play.

"Those are things that I control and I have to be better at and I take accountability for that," Hurts said after the game.

The positive is that Philadelphia still won and put up 34 points despite the miscues, topping the NFC-rival Packers 34-29.

"That's what it's about. You have moments where it's like, 'Oh, well, we missed this opportunity, we didn't take advantage of this opportunity,' but how do we respond from it? Hurts explained. "In the end it all comes down to how you respond to it. I always say, Keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing is playing each play and giving it your best and learning from it moving forward.

"I'm really happy with just how we weathered the storm as a team. We've been talking about it. I've been preaching it. A lot of guys have been preaching it. What type of team are we going to be? What type of teammates are we going to be? What type of approach will we have? How do we handle adversity when it comes?"

The answer to those rhetorical questions was highlighted in the team's four-minute offense late in the game which in practicality turned into a 7:25 offense that drained all but 27 seconds off the clock for a desperate Green Bay team needing a touchdown to win.

"Isn't that a great thing?: Sirianni gushed when Philadelphia Eagles on SI asked about Hurts and the ofefnse's ability to close. "When you say four-minute and that much time came off the clock, that's like one of the coolest things that we have. We look at each other as coaches and are like, ‘That was awesome.’"

The awesome part for Hurts is the ability to put the negative behind him and not be affected by it, extending the drive with a hard-fought run through tacklers and two clutch throws to DeVonta Smith.

"Man, to be able to be successful in those drives, you have to be able to do a little bit of both, right? You have to be able to run it efficiently, pass it efficiently when that's called upon," Sirianni explained. "Jalen was so calm and cool in that area. Yeah, he's definitely going to want plays back. We all do. He was solely in the moment of ‘How do we go close this game? We had a two-point lead. How do we go close this game?’

"We gave them the ball back with 24 [actually, 22 after the kickoff] seconds left down five points with no timeouts. That's pretty tough to do. I know as an offensive coach you look at that, like, man, it is going to be really hard to score a touchdown."

Before the game, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio described the Packers' offense as an "all-day sucker," meaning his defense would have to play a full 60 minutes to win. The Packers found out that keeping Hurts down for parts of the game doesn't mean the QB isn't going to beat you in the end.

"I really believe that you get what you preach, and we talk about that a lot," Sirianni said. "The guys talk about that a lot. To be in that mindset of having a clear mind to play the next play. The guys did that. It's a tribute to the character of the guys we have on this football team to be able to do that in the first game of the season in front of the entire world to see."

For Hurts, finding a way to win despite the poor performance against one of the better teams in the NFC highlighted his relentlessness as a player and should be a warning sign for the rest of the league.

"We take pride in [handling adversity]," Hurts said. "I'm excited just to continue to learn, build with this team, take the coaching."

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