The question mark for the Philadelphia Eagles coming into this season was whether or not Jalen Hurts could rise to the level of play needed to vault the Eagles into NFC contention.
After Monday night’s breakout performance, he may have answered it and then some.
Hurts gained 390 of Philly’s 486 total yards on offense and three touchdowns, two coming on the ground, in the Eagles’ 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
“I think, for us, we came out and played very efficient,” Hurts said postgame . “Last week I talked about the inconsistencies and the urgency. The communication and the operation. That starts with me. We operated at a high level early on in the game.”
Hurts came out of the gates hot, hitting WR A.J. Brown and TE Dallas Goedert for multiple gains of 15+ yards before ending the drive with his first touchdown run. Then, Hurts hit Quez Watkins uncovered in blown coverage on a 53-yard deep bomb that sealed this game before the Vikings could put points on the board.
Hurts saved his brilliance for his second rushing touchdown. A designed run-pass option, Hurts drew in the Minnesota linebackers, pulled the ball back from RB Miles Sanders, and followed Goedert into the endzone on a 26-yard scamper to put this game away.
“He did a really good job,” Brown said”. "How he commanded the offense, it just shows the type of leader he is… he had everything under control.”
It’s the most ‘in control’ Jalen Hurts has been in his NFL career. Oft-criticized for his accuracy, Hurts’ improvement in that area was evident on three passes in particular, two of which did not count.
The first two are to Goedert. One was a beautiful throw by Hurts into triple coverage, but placed only were Goedert could come down with it.
He did not, negating some impressive precision by Hurts.
The second set up an Eagles field goal to end the first half. With the ball just past midfield, Hurts stood in the pocket, took a shot from Vikings LB Za’Darius Smith, and found Goedert for 28 yards to put K Jake Elliott in position for a 38-yard field goal.
The third was called back by a penalty, but may be his best throw of the night, as described by ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.
Of course, Hurts was hard on himself after the game. As the Eagles failed to score in the second half, and a Kenneth Gainwell tipped ball turned into Philly’s lone turnover on the night, Hurts took accountability for his team’s play to end the game.
“We have a standard for ourselves and it only rises. A hell of a game tonight, but there’s a hell of a lot to learn from as a football team.”
As for that earlier question mark? Eagles HC Nick Sirianni believes Hurts delivered the answer well before Monday night.
"He's put in so much work. Of course, it has, it's slowing down," Sirianni said. "But it should, right, at this point. He is further into his process, and we're talking about getting better every day and he lives that. He's one of our of captains, one of our leaders, and he lives the theory of getting better every day. That's why you're seeing major improvements, it's because of the type of person and the type of player he is."
The Eagles defense also stepped up on Monday Night. A week after letting Detroit climb their way back with garbage time points, Philly clamped down on a Minnesota offense that was feeling the buzz of a dominant win over Green Bay.
Fresh off a 186-yard performance, Vikings WR Justin Jefferson was held in check by Eagles CB Darius Slay, who picked off Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins twice.
“Big Play Slay” reminded everyone he is still one of the best corners in the league, even if he doesn’t get the same recognition as his peers.
"You know how it always goes -- the older you get, the more they think you're falling off,” Slay said. “But I ain't one of them guys. I'm still at an elite level. I deserve a lot of respect in this league."
Philly’s defense bucked their usual conservative style of play, keeping Cousins under constant pressure. Cousins was especially in hell on the last drive of the game, when Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon sent 5, 6, even 7-man blitzes at the Vikings.
Monday night was perfect if you’re an Eagles fan. Your defense tortured Minnesota all night, the Linc was absolutely rocking, and most importantly, your QB had his coming-out party on primetime television.
If everything coalesces for the Eagles this season, we could be staring at another special season in Philadelphia.