The Washington Commanders may not strike fear into the hearts of many, but they still presented the Philadelphia Eagles with a must-win situation. Heading into their Saturday match up for Week 16, Jalen Hurts and co. had lost three of their last four games and looked to be spiraling right when things matter the most.
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When the birds gathered for their pregame huddle, Hurts warned his teammates to not “make this sh*t harder than it’s supposed to be” before shouting that “everyone’s got that look in their eyes, keep that sh*t for four quarters, 60 minutes.” Given the results of the contest, it’s safe to say that promise was kept.
The reigning Super Bowl MVP completed 22 of his 30 pass attempts for a total of 185 passing yards and two touchdowns while carrying the ball seven times for a total of 40 yards. Although, the real headline resides in the fact that he was able to break Marcus Mariota’s very own career touchdown record right in front of him.
Thanks to a 15-yard strike to his tight end, Dallas Goedert, late in the third quarter, Hurts was able to record the 109th touchdown pass of his career while reclaiming the lead for the Eagles. In just five seasons, he’s now been able to accomplish what took Mariota 10 years to achieve.
Hurts now holds the 140th overall spot for most career touchdown passes in the NFL and is just two more touchdowns away from tying with the Seattle Seahawks’ former quarterback, Jim Zorn, who last competed all the way back in 1987. With a final score of 29-18, Hurts has now also secured the fourth-consecutive 10+ win season of his career and has yet to produce a losing record as the Eagles’ full-time starter.
Hurts’ low-end passing totals, as well as his turnover issues, like the lone interception that came against the Commanders this afternoon, often make him the target of criticism. He isn’t a traditional pocket passer, nor does he possess the same kind of scrambling ability that rushing quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson or Jayden Daniels have.
Most of his rushing touchdowns have come from the controversial Tush Push play, and there are still concerns about his accuracy when throwing down field. Nevertheless, none of this seems to matter neither to Hurts nor Philadelphia.
He may not be the fastest, and he may not have the arm talent that other quarterbacks have, but for one reason or another, Hurts gives the Eagles their best chance at winning football games. You may not like how the sausage is made, but it gets the job done, and that’s all that the Eagles are worried about as they prepare to defend their title as the reigning Super Bowl champions.
