Do you remember when Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni claimed that there was a legitimate battle for who would start at quarterback this season?
That did happen, and it seems like ages ago, but it was only just this summer when those comments were made.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion that second-year player Jalen Hurts would run away with the job over veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, and that expectation came to fruition.
There was always going to be more upside and room for growth from Hurts, and despite the team’s 1-3 record to begin the season, we’re seeing why he could be the long-term answer in the city of Brotherly Love.
Just a casual conversation about RPOs and coming of age 😂@JalenHurts | #EaglesCamp pic.twitter.com/LJPIfdaD8N
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 4, 2021
Week 1
Coming into their regular season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia didn’t seem to have the same level of trusted firepower as their opponents.
Despite Atlanta featuring Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts, it turned out that it would be the Eagles that would have the banner offensive day.
Hurts had a fantastic performance on the road, throwing three touchdowns to three different receivers.
He added 62 yards on the ground, tantalizing fans with his dual-threat ability.
Perhaps most importantly, Hurts took care of the ball, and the Eagles steamrolled to a 32-6 victory.
Week 2
In their home opener against the San Francisco 49ers, things were a lot more challenging for the former Alabama and Oklahoma signal-caller.
Hurts barely finished with a completion clip over 50 percent in that one, and struggled to move the offense down the field through the air.
However, his stat line was salvaged by his production on the ground.
He came up with a late touchdown on the ground, and finished with 82 yards rushing.
Philadelphia lost 17-11, but at least cosmetically, Hurts’ numbers weren’t awful when you factor in what he did with his legs.
Week 3
In their first division game of the season, the Eagles headed to Dallas to face the Cowboys.
Because of the type of weapons and level of play Dak Prescott had, there was an inherent pressure on Hurts to show that he could make enough plays to hang with a team as explosive as Dallas.
He didn’t really answer those questions convincingly as the Eagles weren’t really in the game in the second half.
Hurts had a couple of turnovers that put Philadelphia in a bad spot, including a pick-six to Trevon Diggs that put them in a 27-7 hole.
They would never recover from that, and fell 41-21.
Due to the amount of time spent trying to catch up, Hurts had some nice passing numbers.
He finished with 326 yards through the air, with two touchdowns to go along with his two interceptions.
Week 4
Speaking of projected shootouts, Philadelphia’s Week 4 tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs projected to be just that.
It didn’t disappoint, as the two teams put up a combined 72 points in Kansas City’s 42-30 victory.
The Eagles hung around more in this one than they did against Dallas, but still did not bring enough octane to the game to threaten the Chiefs.
Aided by a touchdown pass with four seconds remaining, Hurts’ numbers once again looked gaudy despite the loss.
All respect 🤝 pic.twitter.com/p9JDm9MQMb
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 4, 2021
He threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns in the defeat.
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