PHILADELPHIA − There is more to Jalen Hurts’ success than just the players around him, the running ability that he has and the pinpoint passes.
Sure, Hurts can hit the open receiver, like he has all season with A.J. Brown and then to some extent DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.
And he can certainly take off and run, like he has often to escape pressure, or score touchdowns.
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That, of course, makes Hurts a double-threat quarterback. But Hurts sees himself as a triple threat, with the thinking aspect working in with the passing and running.
“(It’s) kind of trying to be a coach on the field, and knowing what I’m supposed to do, and knowing everybody’s job,” Hurts said. “It’s something I definitely challenge myself to do, and it’s not easy. It takes a lot of preparation.”
He was then asked what that entails.
“I think I’ve been through a ton of different things, and a ton of different experiences. I’ve always felt like I was born for the storm, and built to overcome anything in front of me. That’s the mentality that I have.”
Hurts takes that very seriously. So when Hurts plays in his hometown of Houston for the first time as an NFL player on Thursday night when the Eagles face the Texans, Houston fans will see how Hurts has made himself into an MVP candidate.
Hurts is fifth in the NFL with a passer rating of 105.1. He’s seventh in completion percentage at 67.0%. He has thrown 10 TD passes and run for 6 more. All of which has enabled the Eagles to remain the NFL’s only unbeaten team at 7-0.
“You have to be able to kill them with your legs at times, make the throws when you need to in the passing game, and kill them with your mind and with what you see and how you react,” Hurts said after his four touchdown passes dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-13 last Sunday.
“You get to a point where you get different looks, and they try and get you, but you have to be ready for all of those looks and have an answer for it. That’s a testament to the preparation and the people that I have around me. It’s an uphill climb … You’ll never get to a point to where you say, ‘I’ve arrived.’ There is no arrival. There’s only the journey, and I’ve embraced that journey.”
So have the Eagles. When Hurts threw three of his touchdown passes to Brown on Sunday, which went for 39, 27 and 29 yards, respectively, he took advantage of Brown being in single coverage. In fact, the first TD wasn’t even supposed to go to Brown, who said that he was going deep to clear out the safety for DeVonta Smith to get open underneath.
Instead, Hurts saw something and fired deep to Brown.
“I think from my standpoint, I try to execute everything within the frame of the offense,” Hurts said. “There are opportunities where AJ goes out there, and he’s given opportunities to make big-time plays. That can be for anybody on the field. It all depends on what the defense gives you.
“I think it’s my job to just distribute the ball given the picture shown to me. So it’s a thing of playing together. It’s a thing of trust in one another. Me trusting them to be in the right spots, and them also trusting me to get them the ball.”
There have been times when Brown has been double-teamed, so Hurts has gone to Smith, who had a career-high 169 receiving yards against the Commanders on Sept. 25. Goedert has also been a big part of the offense.
Last week Brown, an accomplished baseball player, said that he can’t believe that teams are still pitching to Phillies slugger Bryce Harper. Along those lines, Brown was asked if he can believe that opponents aren’t double teaming him.
“We have a lot of weapons,” Brown said. “You take somebody away, somebody else is going to beat you. That’s the good thing about this offense. We have a lot of weapons and we spread the ball around.”
And they have a quarterback in Hurts who’s smart enough to make it happen.
Unlike Phillies, Eagles have clear edge over Houston
Philadelphia and Houston will share the spotlight in both football and baseball Thursday night. But unlike the Phillies, who are considered by many the underdogs in the World Series against the Astros, the Eagles are clear favorites against the Texans.
That goes down to their history, where the Eagles are 5-0 all-time against the Texans. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be 6-0. On defense, the Texans are starting five rookies, including defensive backs Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre, their first- and second-round picks. They might be talented, but guarding A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith is a tall order.
On offense, the Texans have gotten nice production from rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who has 539 yards rushing. And that should be their strategy, especially with defensive tackle Jordan Davis out. But quarterback Davis Mills, with a middling passer rating of 81.9, will be hard-pressed to carry the Texans when the Eagles stack the box to stop Pierce.
Just look at these differentials: The Eagles rank third on offense, averaging 395 yards per game; the Texans rank 31st, averaging 288. The Eagles rank third on defense, allowing 298 yards per game; the Texans rank 30th, allowing 403 yards.
Even a short week benefits the Eagles because they just had their bye week. Plus, they had a big enough lead against the Steelers where they could rest Hurts and the rest of the offensive starters for the final 9-plus minutes of the game.
In other words, the Eagles will remain unbeaten against the Texans and unbeaten against the rest of the NFL.
Score: Eagles 32, Texans 10
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
