Jalen Hurts' Game Has Grown, Now it's Time to Win New York

The Eagles QB is in the MVP conversation after a big leap from year 1 to year 2 as the starter, but now it's time to avenge the worst game he's played in his career vs. the Giants

USA Today

PHILADELPHIA – Jalen Hurts has thrown three interceptions in 12 games.

That’s as many as he threw in one game last year, and it just so happens that that one game was against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

That’s the same Giants and MetLife Stadium where the Eagles quarterback will play again on Sunday (1 p.m./FOX).

Hurts has rewritten the narrative on what kind of NFL QB he can be. Now comes another part of his script that needs a rewrite – playing well in the shadow of New York City’s skyline.

Last year, the trip to North Jersey on Nov. 28 was a disaster.

It was only his first start at MetLife Stadium, but he it was the worst game he has played in his short career.

He threw three interceptions in a 13-7 loss, including a horrendous pick at the end of the first half with the Eagles inside the 5 looking like they would tie the game at intermission, or at the very least, kick a chip-shot field goal to make the score 7-3 after two quarters.

Hurts ended up 14-for-31 passing (45.16%) and 129 yards that day.

He is 14-1 in the regular season since that loss.

“I learned from the good, I learned from the bad and moved on,” he said on Wednesday. “I think there’s a reflection after every game and you want to be honest with yourself when you look in the mirror and assess the way you played and assess the way you did your job.

“I think that’s after every win. I think that’s after every loss. I’ve always said the teachable moments don’t have to come from the worst or bad experiences. They can come from the positive ones as well.

“I’ve tried to remain consistent with all these experiences and just learn from it.”

In Hurts' defense, he suffered an injured ankle during that game, an injury serious enough to force him to miss the following week's game, back at MetLife, only that time to face the Jets.

It impacted him the rest of the year and, in the offseason, required surgery.

Injuries are always a concern on the unforgiving and unpopular turf inside MetLife,  but so is a Giants defense that will blitz and hit the quarterback. It's a physical unit that will leave opponents black and blue no matter what the final score says.

“I had an ankle,” said Hurts. “And you turn the ball over and good things don’t happen. That’s something we’ve learned from every other game. I don’t want to just single out this game. You learn from everything.”

Hurts has certainly learned his lessons well enough in the offseason and during his second season as a starter.

Giants coach Brian Daboll was his offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama in 2017 and spoke glowingly of his former quarterback.

"I think one word that defines Jalen is consistency," he said on a call with Eagles media on Thursday morning. "He’s always hungry. He’s one of the best leaders that I’ve been around, and he was young at that particular time. 

"He had leadership. He had toughness. He was all-day football. He knew how to relate to everyone in his unit...he should be at the top of the list of the MVP discussion."

He is in that MVP discussion, thanks to a narrative he changed in a short time.

On Sunday comes the next one to change.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.