With the Philadelphia Eagles sitting at 8-0 and remaining the only undefeated team in the NFL, we all know that all Jalen Hurts does is win football games.
That, at least, is the narrative. The truth is that Hurts has become much more than that and that his numbers this year should have Hurts at the top of every MVP list as we sit halfway through the NFL season.
Jalen Hurts MVP
The most remarkable way that Hurts has improved his game in Philadelphia is his passing accuracy. To say that Hurts was an inaccurate passer in 2020 doesn’t even get close to describing how bad he was at hitting his wide receivers. Hurts was dead last among the 44 players who threw at least 100 passes that season, hitting only 52% of his throws.
When you are hitting at a rate only slightly better than tossing a coin, it will be a problem. Hurts, however, is one of those quarterbacks who will improve himself. In 2022, he is hitting 68.2% of his passes. This is better than NFL superstars like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Tom Brady. Hurts is No. 6 in the league in completion percentage and is just decimal points behind the two players directly ahead of him.
Hurts’ Youth
The most interesting part is just how quickly the improvement has come and how well Hurts is playing at such a young age. He recently became the sixth quarterback under 25 to win ten straight NFL games. This puts him on a list with legends like Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger, and Peyton Manning Lamar Jackson is also on that list, meaning that three of the five others – the other two being Dak Prescott and Ben Roethlisberger – were NFL MVPs at some point during their career.
While his passing is better night and day, Hurts is still getting things done with his feet. He has 18 touchdowns through eight games, and his split of passing scores (12) to rushing touchdowns (6) is one that keeps defenses off balance in each and every game. Add in that he only has a pair of interceptions – showing that his decision-making is on point and he is simply not putting bad throws out there – and you can see why Hurts must be in the middle (if not at the top) of any MVP discussion.
Will it Continue?
This is the big question as the season goes on. If you take Hurts’ numbers to date and project them for the rest of the season, then he would have the following:
- 4,300+ yards passing
- 25 touchdowns passing
- 12 touchdowns rushing
- 4 interceptions
- 68% completion rate
This has never been done before. Some will say that the 17-game season is causing the statistical outlier of a season Hurts is putting together. This is not true either, as if you project his stats of 16 games, he would still be the first player in NFL history to put together a season with that level of production and efficiency from the quarterback position.
Eagles fans know how good Hurts is and how well he is playing. It is time the rest of the country took notice.
Always remember folks to bleed Eagles’ green, and Fly Hurts Fly!