What Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Hurts’ ‘not normal’ play means vs … – Pocono Record
PHILADELPHIA − So there Jalen Hurts was, sitting on the bench by himself, shaking his head as Jake Elliott hit one of the most improbable field goals in Eagles’ history.
Elliott’s 59-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation, into the wind and rain last Sunday, forced overtime. The Eagles jumped up and down on the sidelines, hugged and screamed into the night after rallying from a 10-point deficit earlier in the fourth quarter.
There were 70,000 people in the Lincoln Financial Field stands, soaked to their core, standing and screaming, too.
Except for Hurts. He just sat on the bench, shaking his head.
What could he have been thinking about?
“You know, there’s never a lack of confidence in Jake,” Hurts said Wednesday. “He’s got the best right leg in football.”
Then Hurts turned introspective.
“I think in that moment, it was out of my hands, so I could only think about the things that I could have done better to that point,” he said. “Because there were opportunities for us.
“We had some setbacks, some false starts. Different things that came up, miscommunications. So I was upset with that. But (Elliott) bailed us out and we had an opportunity. The defense held them to a field goal, and we had the opportunity to finish it, and we did.”
That tells you everything about why the Eagles are 10-1 heading into their NFC championship game rematch against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday. And it’s why Hurts is 27-2 in his last 29 regular-season starts, a mark matched only by two quarterbacks in NFL history going back to 1950 − Tom Brady and Jim McMahon.
But don’t mistake Hurts’ demeanor for joylessness or misery. That’s how NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport referred to Hurts after watching Hurts’ postgame press conference following the Eagles’ 37-34 overtime win.
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Hurts scored the winning touchdown in overtime on a 12-yard quarterback draw, a play that Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he’ll “remember for a long time” because of how everything had to come together for that play to work.
Yet as Hurts ran into the back of the end zone, practically untouched, he stood there with his arms spread wide until his teammates mobbed him.
Then he casually flipped the ball into the first row of the stands.
“It was jarring to me,” Rapoport said. “The Eagles had just had a dramatic victory, one of the best victories, and maybe the game of the year in the NFL, and Jalen Hurts is sitting there at the press conference, and I swear to God, he was miserable.
“Everyone was trying to get him excited. He was so annoyed and pissed off that he didn’t play up to his standards, and this is not normal.”
Rapoport went on to say, “I was so impressed by that.”
But as Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, someone who is as boisterous as Hurts is stoic, put it while yelling at the Bills players from the sideline: “You must not know Jalen Hurts like I know him!”
Graham, who was mic’d up for the game, said that’s why he said, “It don’t matter!” to the Bills when they won the coin toss to start overtime.
Sure enough, the Bills were unable to score a touchdown that would have ended the game. Instead, they settled for a field goal, giving the Eagles a chance to possess the ball in overtime.
Why was Graham so confident?
“In those moments, I believe that Jalen is going to go down and do something special,” Graham said. “I don’t know what it was going to be because I don’t know all the play calls. But I know that we all trust in each other, and trust in Jalen to get it done.”
Hurts got it done. Then he reacted as he always does, win or lose − stoically, without emotion. After all, there’s a game against the 49ers coming up, and eventually the playoffs and possibly a return trip to the Super Bowl.
Don’t tell that to Hurts.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead,” he said. “Just truly try and be in the moment. Embrace the moment and enjoy the moment.
“I’m sorry if you don’t think I find enjoyment in these moments … because I do.”
Shaq Leonard needs more time to decide
The Eagles took their turn Wednesday trying to convince ex-Colts linebacker Shaq Leonard to sign with them, one day after Leonard visited the Dallas Cowboys. Leonard will reportedly decide after the weekend.
The Eagles could certainly use the three-time Pro Bowl selection, who was waived recently by the Colts, then became a free agent when no team claimed him.
The Eagles have one starting linebacker on injured reserve in Nakobe Dean, and another who suffered a hamstring injury against the Bills in Zach Cunningham, who did not practice Wednesday. That leaves Nicholas Morrow and Christian Elliss as the only healthy linebackers on the 53-man roster.
Ben VanSumeren is on the practice squad, but the Eagles would have to add him to the 53-man roster for him to play Sunday because he used up all three of his practice-squad elevations.
Sirianni was asked what his pitch was to Leonard, someone he knew for three years when Sirianni was the Colts’ offensive coordinator from 2018-20.
“I want Shaq to make the decision that’s best for him,” Sirianni said. “Take all the information from both places and do what’s best for you. I’ve called him a bunch the last couple days, and, shoot, he’ll make the decision that’s best for him. I’m confident in that. He’s a good person.”
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.