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Spadaro: Jalen Hurts is continuing to climb after bye week

Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts

From the perspective of the head coach, Jalen Hurts is under fire on every snap of the football when the Eagles' offense is on the field. Every aspect of Hurts' job, says Nick Sirianni, is remarkable in the context of the fast and furious action.

"Jalen plays the hardest position in sports, in my opinion," Sirianni said. "These guys are coming down there trying to kill you, and he's got to make split decisions on where to go with the football based on a defense that's trying to deceive you of what they're playing. Then, (he) has to be accurate with the throw on top of that, while somebody is right on the hip of the receiver at times, and sometimes they're open by a bunch, too.

"It takes a ton of reps. It takes a ton of study. Jalen has done so much of that. He knows how important it is to take care of the football, but he also knows how important it is to win the explosive play battle. That's what we talk about each week. 'Let's win the explosive play battle, and let's win the turnover battle.' A lot of that falls on his shoulders of being able to push the ball when it needs to be pushed. Sometimes you get explosive plays.

"There's a lot that plays into it. I think he's been playing good football and taking care of the ball. We have this two-game win streak, and he's touching the ball every play, so he's a big part of that and a big reason why."

The 2024 version of Jalen Hurts continues to move forward, and that's a great thing. His numbers: 7 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, a career-best 67.8 completion percentage, a very strong 94.4 passer rating, four rushing touchdowns, and plenty of big plays with his legs – but they do not tell the entire story.

Go inside the locker room at MetLife Stadium for these exclusive photos of the Eagles before and after the 28-3 win over the New York Giants.

In an offense that has had continual change through six games – only in the opener against Green Bay when the Eagles scored 34 points have the Eagles had their entire starting offense on the field for the full 60 minutes – Hurts has been a constant, poised presence who is becoming more and more comfortable in coordinator Kellen Moore's new offense.

"It's just important playing a position, obviously, but just playing team football and complementary football," Hurts said after Sunday's 28-3 victory over the New York Giants. "Every team out there really wants to defensively take the ball away, be explosive on offense, and then, obviously, take care of the ball when it's our ball. I think we're still testing our efficiency and that matters. I think we're climbing in the right direction. We just need to continue to build, continue to build. Everybody knows what type of ball we're capable of playing. That's why we're held to that standard from everyone. So, the reality is, we just need to continue to climb."

When whole, the Eagles' offense features a powerful offensive line, outstanding pass catchers, and a running game that is among the very best in the NFL. Hurts is the point guard. He has to, in an instant, read, recognize, and properly distribute the football. Now in his fifth season, Hurts has worked hard to become a good pocket quarterback, to have success throwing on the run, and to win with his legs when needed.

The Eagles head to Cincinnati with wins over Cleveland and New York since the bye week, since Hurts and his coaching staff talked at length about how to curb giveaways and maximize possessions. In the two games since, Hurts has completed 26 of 39 passes for 378 yards, 3 touchdowns, zero interceptions, a passer rating of more than 122, and a yards per passing attempt average of more than 9.5 yards.

Good progress. Positive steps. Eliminating the giveaways that plagued the offense through four games has been a priority.

"Individually and as a collective group, protecting the football is something we want to do a better job of. Sometimes those things are bad luck and sometimes there are things that you can focus on," Moore said. "I think our team in general has done an excellent job the last couple of weeks of really securing the football both with ballcarriers and with throwing. Jalen has made some excellent decisions the past couple of weeks and has done a really good job with that and has put us some very favorable positions."

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