The Eagles pulled off another impressive victory in Week 8 over the Giants, and Jalen Hurts had another exemplary performance throwing for 179 yards and four touchdowns. As the team heads into the bye week 6-2, Hurts spoke to reporters about what he sees for the offense the rest of the season.
The last question of his press conference was if he felt like he’s playing his best football, Hurts simply replied, “Definitely a lot of work to do. I think the best is yet to come.”
Here’s what else the QB had to say:
On the run game
Hurts talked about how important it is for the offense to be efficient in both the run game and pass game, and said they’ve had a desire to stay on schedule and be better on first and second downs. The QB gave credit to the offensive line for their performance on Sunday, and to Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby for making the most of their opportunities.
“I think those things, when you’re able to run the ball efficiently like that, it kind of gives you a flow a bit. And so proud of how we were able to run the ball and I’m proud of how we were able to make plays and win in the red zone and take advantage of those opportunities there, too.”
He explained that the 65-yard TD run by Barkley didn’t necessarily affect the psyche of the team, but rather let them see how they’re leveraging themselves and that the new things they did were working.
“We just want to have that balance, want to be able to utilize every piece of what we have, whether that’s in the spread, whether that’s under center, however it is 12 personnel, 11 personnel, 21, 13, just being able to go out there and present these different things and have variations off of it.”
On being under center more often
“I think when you have more variety and you have different variations of what you do, you definitely can build off of that.”
Hurts went on to say that the best quarterbacks are able to attack people in different ways, and are able to pick their poison with what they’re trying to do. He noted that doing more under center has always helped the Eagles offense, and they want to continue to build off that.
“I enjoy being under center and being able to compliment things within our run game and find a flow, but ultimately I think it’s about finding a flow and what you do. It’s not necessarily that you stick a guy under the center or you’re playing from the shotgun or you’re in a pistol. It’s about what you’re doing when you’re under center. How we’re leveraging what we do. How we’re leveraging the guys. What spots are we putting guys in when we’re in these different positions? We just want to continue to build off of it. Obviously big time for us as always, going into the bye week and being able to assess that and have a reset.”
On the passing game
Hurts was asked how the game plan changes when they’re down A.J. Brown, and he talked about how all the guys came in and stepped up to make some big plays. He noted Jahan Dotson kind of put the dagger in the game with that big play late, said Darius Cooper was able to knock the dust off, John Metchie was playing hard, in addition to DeVonta Smith doing his thing.
“I think all those things are good, but when we are able to run the ball like we did, it creates more of a balance and free will of how we attack people.”
On finding a new rhythm
“I don’t think there’s anything that we can’t do. It’s a matter of are we working towards it and working in it the right way. So I look at it that way.”
He went on to say that there’s always a period of adjustment with a new offensive coordinator and play caller, but the QB embraces his role within that situation. Hurts talked about needing a culmination of time and experiences together to sort out where they want to be, and that’s something he’s learned through so many OC changes over the years.
“There’s always a period of trying to figure things out a bit. And so that’s something that I’ve accepted throughout my career at this point. And I know what it is. It is just having a relentless mentality, a relentless approach, and during the times where you are getting there to where you want to be because it’s always there. Just have to be persistent in it.”
On Kevin Patullo as a playcaller
“I think he’s gained confidence and gained assurance in what he sees and what he believes as time has gone on. And so again, I look at how are we helping him? Are we playing penalty free? Are we mastering the things that take no talent? Are we getting in and out of the huddle? The little things that can help all of us and help the play caller find a rhythm in what he does. And so we’re very critical of that. I’m very critical of that. That’s always something that I’m talking about, but we just want to continue to build. And he’s been rolling.”
On Dallas Goedert and the red zone
“Well, I think he’s a hell of a player. I think he’s a hell of a player. He’s a big time target and in the sense he’s due, he’s due. He does a lot of dirty work in this offense.”
On the impact of this game
Hurts said that the reality of it is they are always in the process of becoming something, and the goal is to be playing their best ball at the end of the season. He explained that there’s a process they have to go through, and they’ll face tests along the way. It’s about embracing those challenges as a group, and then lauded the players who stepped up in Sunday’s win.
“You saw a lot of guys make big time plays today and step up in different roles that they traditionally are not asked to do. Brett [Toth] taking full command up front, leading the way. You can’t ask for anything more when he comes in and he does that. He knows the game, he knows what we do. And all those guys out wide doing the same thing. So, just wanting to continue to play clean ball. I can’t talk about the running backs enough, how they played. It’s just playing team football and playing together, really, playing together, having a bit of a mess and flow to what we do.”
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