The San Francisco 49ers pulled off an upset against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round on Sunday. It was a brutal end for a team that won the Super Bowl just last season. In response, former Eagle and team supporter LeSean McCoy took aim at quarterback Jalen Hurts, suggesting he is limited when it comes to running more exotic and creative plays.
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There’s no other way to analyze the Wild Card matchup other than stating the obvious: the Eagles’ offense underperformed. It has been a common theme for them all season. On Sunday, however, it caught up with them at the worst possible time, and they were sent packing in the opening game of the playoffs.
That’s why McCoy ripped his former team for not being creative enough offensively. He also added that he did some digging to understand why the offense lacks creativity, and he believes it traces back to star QB Hurts.
“I did a lot of digging, man. And I won’t throw them under the bus here, but I know some people. The problem is we [the Eagles] can’t do different exotic looks, different formations, different motions because I’m hearing that he [Jalen Hurts] can’t really do it,” McCoy shared on Speakeasy.
It was a surprising revelation. So much of the blame has been placed on Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo for the lack of offensive creativity this season. Nobody has considered that it could be more of a Hurts issue.
That’s why McCoy called on the Eagles QB to change his ways and step up. “Jalen Hurts, I need you to be special,” McCoy pleaded.
Last season, the Eagles had an incredible offensive line that generated big plays through the ground game with Saquon Barkley. But this season, that great line has been hurt for the majority of the year. Mix that with a slight regression from Barkley, and it puts a lot of pressure on Hurts to make big throws.
Most fans know that Hurts is a fine passer, but it’s not his strong suit. He’s at his best when he’s rolling out of the pocket and throwing on the run or scrambling. When he’s forced to become a pocket passer, he tends to make bad throws like the one that ended the Wild Card game against the 49ers.
McCoy concluded his tirade by giving a hot take.
“I think if Brock Purdy had our weapons, I think we win this game at least by 10 points. I gotta be honest,” McCoy stated.
The atmosphere of the contest certainly seemed to favor Purdy over Hurts. After all, the 49ers QB threw two bad interceptions in the second half. But he was able to overcome the setbacks and push through for a win. Meanwhile, Hurts stagnated and continued to make safe throws after safe throws, rarely taking shots downfield.
At the end of the game, the Niners walked away victorious for a reason. Firstly, as we mentioned in yesterday’s forecast for the game, Kyle Shanahan tends to win games that he has no business winning. But secondly, Hurts and the Eagles’ offense weren’t able to play up to par.
It wasn’t just the QB. AJ Brown also had his fair share of drops and got in a heated exchange with Sirianni on the sidelines. It all came crashing down for the Eagles on Sunday. The question is, can they rebuild what they have lost going into next year? Also, does Hurts’ ceiling leave room for nothing less than perfection when it comes to play calling and the personnel around him?
We won’t get answers to these questions anytime soon, as Philly packs their bags for Cancun. But they’re good things to keep in mind heading into next season. Even with a Super Bowl and a few Big Game appearances under his belt, the Hurts discourse and debate lives on.
