Getty Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was effective on the ground in a 38-35 win over the Lions.
After a shaky start, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts guided his team to a 38-35 victory over the Detroit Lions, and impressed some NFL scouts while doing it. An NFC scout was impressed by his work on the ground and an AFC scout said Hurts was “well on his way,” according to Heavy NFL insider Matt Lombardo.
Hurts opened the game with five straight incompletions, but connected with his receivers on 18 of the following 27 passes for 243 yards. Hurts did plenty of damage on the ground, as well, rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
The NFC scout told Lombardo, “He’s a really good runner, it’s his best attribute.” It was the 14th rushing touchdown in Hurts’ career, while he’s picked up more than 1,200 yards on the ground.
The AFC scout forecasts continued improvements for Hurts. “The thing about that dude is he is going to work his entire ass off to get better,” the scout told Lombardo. “Everywhere he’s been, he’s done that, and he’s well on his way for the Eagles.”
Hurts is already focused on improving, as he said after the game that the performance didn’t meet his standards.
Hurts Also Impressed Teammates
Wide receiver A.J. Brown had a busy day, racking up 10 catches for 155 yards, but he still had time to take note of Hurts ability to turn nothing into something on broken plays.
“He had some big third down runs scrambling, when I saw him take off and looked where he needed to get, I said, ‘I’m pretty sure he’s going to get it,'” Brown said in his September 11 post-game press conference.
Brown said he was so confident in Hurts’ scrambling that it will show on film each time Hurts uses his legs.
“If you look on the film and you see me when he takes off, I’m like, ‘OK, first down, let’s go,’ that’s what I expect from him,” Brown told the media.
The star receiver also had high praise for one pass in particular, as Hurts connected with Brown for a 54-yard bomb down the right sideline.
“That was a dime,” Brown said, repeating himself for emphasis. “That was a dime. Fell out [of] the sky.”
1. A.J. Brown is a monster 2. This throw is insane
If those two keep connecting on highlight reel plays like that, it should be a fun season for the Eagles offense.
DeVonta Smith & Other Receivers Quiet
Brown’s big game did overshadow the lack of production elsewhere in the receiving corps, although that’s to be expected when one player is that dominant. DeVonta Smith didn’t catch a pass in the opener, despite four targets. Quez Watkins was not targeted at all, while Zach Pascal had one catch for seven yards.
“We knew we had weapons on offense, and today it was my day,” Brown said. “Next week it could be DeVonta’s day or [Dallas Goedert’s] day. Miles [Sanders] did a good job running the ball, so did Kenny [Gainwell] and so did [Boston] Scott, so we have a lot of skill players on offense, and just trying to get them the ball, get everybody the ball is probably just really hard on [offensive coordinator] Shane [Steichen], cause he’s trying get everybody touches.”
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Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Impresses Scouts in Opener: ‘He’s Well on His Way’