There is always a stage, but some are brighter than others. If history is a barometer of what is to be for the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, quarterback Jalen Hurts is going to shine.
He has been at his best in big moments, and this game is a big moment: The Eagles are 8-4, looking to get back into the win column after consecutive defeats, and the stretch run of the season is here.
"I think we got a lot of opportunity in front of us," he said. "It takes a tight-knit group, it takes a collective, and all of those things are things that we can control. You never run from accountability, you never run from owning the things that you can control."
To get to where the Eagles want to be, the offense must hit its stride. That has yet to happen this season, and Hurts acknowledges that he is looking at everything and every way to find that consistency the team has talked about all year.
"There are a lot of things that we can improve on, a lot of things that we have done well in the past," Hurts said. "There are a lot of things that we do well now. We just have to be more consistent in that, better define the things that we want to do so that it's clear for everyone and everyone is on the same page."
What the Eagles have done well is score touchdowns in the red zone better than any team in the league, at a 75 percent clip, and protect the football – Hurts has just five giveaways and the offense has a total of six giveaways – so there are things to build upon.
But what Hurts and the offense are aiming for is finding a groove that carries through an entire game, a series of games, the remainder of the season.
"I think I've been able to overcome a lot of things because I've taken accountability," Hurts said. "I'm going about it in a humble way. You've got to have an appetite to improve and you improve most when things are uncomfortable and I think maybe when things aren't going your way, it's about how you respond in those times. That's when you take those leaps. That's when you take those steps."
Hurts calls it "self-correction," and when he's discussing the reflection he has had, he talks about "finding a way to win. That's where my heart has always set with the game and that's where it sits here." He said that the days off from the Black Friday game were good for everyone to reflect and point toward taking steps forward, starting Monday night against a strong Los Angeles defense.
"All of those things that I've been able to experience, the things that have been on my path, those things have taught me how to self-correct," Hurts said. "Those things have taught me how to assess things when I've made a mistake. I know the importance of not being a repeat offender, but I think self-correction is a very powerful thing as a player."
