How Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is dismissing his doubters

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More MMQB: How the Dolphins Survived the Bills | Draft Notes: First-Round QB Prospect Benched | The Jaguars Could Be for Real | The 0–3 Raiders Might Be Wondering What Might Have Been | MMQB Awards for Week 3’s Best Performances

Like most non-first-round picks, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has had some trouble shaking the doubts he carried going into the 2020 NFL draft. But he seems to know the best way to make it happen. And that’s, really, just by putting out the kind of tape he has the past couple of weeks.

Here are Hurts’s first-half stats from the Eagles games against the Vikings and Commanders from the past seven days.

• Week 2 vs. Minnesota: 17-of-20, 251 yards, TD, 0 INTs, 135.4 rating

• Week 3 at Washington: 18-of-27, 279 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 137.7 rating

Again, these are first-half numbers. And remember, Hurts is a guy who, while he was at Alabama, got pulled in favor of Tua Tagovailoa on passing downs because Crimson Tide coaches didn’t think he could throw, had to transfer to Oklahoma just to play and was being evaluated by some NFL teams as a tailback prospect.

Hurts has been on fire for the Eagles the past two games, throwing for 300-plus yards in each.

Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

“It’s always been there,” Hurts told me from the Eagles’ bus Sunday afternoon.” Every time, I had my way of proving them wrong. Every time. That’s not why I do it. I proved myself right. That’s always what I want to do is achieve everything I set myself out to do. But it starts with the work you put in. I think all the criticism that I get, everything that comes my way in negative comments, I’m my biggest critic, so I can handle it.”

And the Commanders just so happen to be the latest team to see what’s come of it.

That the Eagles are really good isn’t a huge surprise to anyone—the roster is well rounded and deep and built, like all of Philly’s best teams, through the lines of the scrimmage. But that the quarterback position has evolved into a legitimate team strength isn’t something most people saw coming even a couple of months ago.

Yet, it’s hard to imagine anyone watching Sunday’s 24–8 deconstruction of the Commanders would come away with a different takeaway on where the Eagles stand at quarterback. Hurts threw for only 61 yards in the second half but was so electric in the first half that none of that mattered. And it’s proven out in how involved he was in every point the Eagles scored.

The team’s first points on a field goal were keyed by a 45-yard bomb from Hurts to DeVonta Smith. The team’s first touchdown came on a slickly executed 23-yard screen to Dallas Goedert, two plays after a Brandon Graham strip-sack. Another shot to Smith, this one for 33 yards, set up the next touchdown, a nine-yarder from Hurts to A.J. Brown to make it 17–0.

And the final touchdown of the half came with an interesting piece of clock management. A 44-yard play from Smith helped set the Eagles up from their own 12 to within striking distance of the end zone. Hurts cashed in by snapping the ball with a second left on the clock on fourth-and-goal from the 2 before hitting Smith on a back-shoulder throw to the back corner of the end zone to make it 24–0.

“We’re in those situations a lot throughout practice and we try to put ourselves in those situations so we’re ready for it in the game,” Hurts said. “If we don’t hit that big play, if DeVonta doesn’t go down and make a hell of a catch he made, we’re not there. I’m kind of frustrated with how that went in terms of the operation, but the worst-case scenario was I’m kind of leaning on our preparation in terms of being in those situations and having plays that we can call, plays that we know and plays that all 11 on the field can execute.

“So kudos to the offense and our operation and going out there and executing the play, with no timeouts in that situation.”

And that brings you back to where Hurts is as a quarterback, and how remarkable it is that he’s gotten here. We wrote in the Sept. 5 MMQB that he’s improved in areas where young quarterbacks normally don’t—with his anticipation, pocket presence and accuracy.

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