Can the Eagles and Jalen Hurts keep winning without a passing game? (Yeah, probably!)

Opinions vary wildly on the Eagles’ QB, who isn’t passing much but keeps on winning.

Well, you can say this about the 2024 Eagles… they are committed to the bit.

Having firmly established an identity months ago as a run-first, defense-first team, the Eagles have leaned into that philosophy in a major way in their two postseason victories over the Packers and Rams.

• Rushing Yards vs. Packers: 169
• Rushing Yards vs. Rams: 285
• Net Passing Yards vs. Packers: 121
• Net Passing Yards vs. Rams: 65

The Eagles are hosting their second NFC Championship Game in three seasons thanks mainly to Saquon Barkley, an incredible run-blocking offensive line and a stout defense that makes big plays and hits hard. Back in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, those were the keys to winning Super Bowls. But over the last 20 years, NFL rules have evolved to enable the passing game to be the primary source of success, and one can only assume Jeffrey Lurie would still like for this Eagles team to be a pass-first operation.

Despite being a victory over the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders next Sunday at home away from returning to the Super Bowl, many fans are unhappy. Why? Jalen Hurts and the passing game. It seems inconceivable that the Eagles can continue to win these last two games with a passing attack that has netted a total of 186 yards over the last two games.

Make no mistake, their wins over Green Bay and L.A. have been ugly, but also consider yesterday’s game was played in a messy, sleety slop and, in the wild card round, Hurts was coming off a concussion and hadn’t played in three weeks. The knee injury he suffered in the third quarter, combined with the field conditions, limited his mobility and certainly factored into a few of the seven sacks he absorbed. After the game, A.J. Brown offered up a reasonable excuse (via NFL.com).

“You’ve got to give this a pass,” Brown said. “You’ve got to give this game a pass. It was just tough. The conditions were tough. I keep getting this question, but can’t do nothing about it. The conditions were crazy. We couldn’t even see out there, so imagine throwing the ball and catching the ball, even though they were doing it at the end. The game’s on the line, they didn’t have a choice. I don’t think that would’ve been their first choice.”

“Absolutely, it affected everything,” he said. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. That was not fun, honestly. That wasn’t fun at all, man. Tough game. Tough conditions. You make the most of it, try to get the win, and I’m glad we did it.”

So it sure seemed like the elements factored into yesterday’s issues, but this isn’t a one-week blip. It’s part of a larger trend Brown himself complained about prior to the Pittsburgh game in which they piled up 270 net passing yards.

The big question is, can the Eagles and Jalen Hurts continue to win without a viable passing game?

At least one NFL talking head, noted Hurts’ detractor Chris Simms, doesn’t think so.

It may be true if they get to the Super Bowl, but against Washington this week, the answer is probably yes. Jayden Daniels is on a heater, but the Commanders have given up a ton of rushing yards to Barkley and the Eagles in their two match-ups: 228 in Week 11 and 211 in Week 16, and have allowed the third highest yards-per-carry in the NFL (4.8). Keeping the ball out of Daniels’ hands with long drives would make a lot of sense this Sunday. The Eagles and Hurts have clearly decided to play conservatively in the postseason and, given the results, it’s hard to argue with that strategy.

Since their Week 5 bye, Hurts has thrown just one interception and lost two fumbles. He has thrown 16 TDs and run for another 13. That’s 29 total TDs and 3 turnovers.

That’s smart football.

And when you consider Hurts’ performance in the divisional round, please also take a look at the statistics of two other star QBs who won while playing in bitterly cold and/or adverse conditions.

Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen did what they had to do to win the game. They don’t receive nearly the same fan scrutiny as Hurts does in Philadelphia.

This isn’t to say the Eagles shouldn’t be better at passing the football. They absolutely should. With Hurts, Smith, Dallas Goedert and, heck, even Jahan Dotson out there, it shouldn’t look this difficult. In fact, having Barkley as a dynamic running threat should make passing the football a breeze. But since the concussion, Hurts’ field vision isn’t as good as it was, he’s failed to hit on longer passes, and he’s taking far more sacks than he should be. It’s clear he’s holding the ball too long, and while some of that is on him, some of it is also on the play caller.

Yeah, you just can’t hold onto the ball this long.

Here’s the thing, guys. It’s OK to both be critical of how Hurts has played while also sharing blame with the coaching staff AND believing that Hurts is a good QB and has played a major hand in this team’s success over the last four seasons. All those things can be true. For example, Hurts has to make this throw and not take a safety.

Folks, you are not going to see Hurts put up 300+ passing yards in a game, and he may not get over 200. But that’s OK if they’re continuing to rush for 150-200 yards a game. Something my friend Mark said in a text chain rang true to me: you can’t throw for 250 yards and run for 250 in the same game. You’ve got to do one or the other.

Hurts’ knee injury might limit his mobility on Sunday, which could be both good and bad. Perhaps it will force him to get rid of the ball more quickly, knowing he can’t dance around and escape the pocket as easily, and will force Sirianni and Moore to design more quick-hitting slants, outs and screens. If Hurts can trade even a few of the sacks he took for incompletions, it would be a massive help. Live to play another down. Get rid of the football.

It’s clear Hurts is obsessed with not turning the ball over, something we had previously screamed at him about at the end of last season and through the first four weeks of this one. He’s done that, and the team has won every single game in which he’s started and finished since Week 6.

So, yes, the Eagles can beat the Commanders with the passing game playing this way, but it makes things more difficult, and it sure would make everyone feel better to see Hurts and his receivers get on the same page more frequently. The talent is there. The coaching staff must put Hurts in a better position to succeed and Hurts has to get better, too.