Jalen Hurts, Eagles Offense Hyped Up by Twitter After Explosive Outing vs. Jets
August 13, 2022
The always-calm and rational Philadelphia fanbase had some thoughts about the Eagles' impressive start to the preseason Friday night.
Jalen Hurts led a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that took just under four minutes against the New York Jets.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the drive was all 80 yards were racked up by Hurts through the air. The third-year quarterback completed all six of his attempts, including a 28-yard strike to Quez Watkins on his first pass.
Hurts finished his only drive of the game with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert.
NFL @NFLJalen Hurts and Dallas Goedert getting warmed up for some regular season TDs.<a href="https://twitter.com/JalenHurts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JalenHurts</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/goedert33?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@goedert33</a><br><br>š±: Stream <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYJvsPHI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYJvsPHI</a> on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/X9ARBBDJ3B">https://t.co/X9ARBBDJ3B</a> <a href="https://t.co/NfjJIxEQhC">pic.twitter.com/NfjJIxEQhC</a>
Hurts did try to use his legs when he scrambled for what would have been a 12-yard touchdown run. The play was called back because of a holding penalty by Jordan Mailata.
It didn't end up being a big deal, as Hurts found Goedert for a score on the next play.
The Jets defense did aid in keeping the drive alive. Hurts was sacked out of bounds on a 3rd-and-5 play, but Quinnen Williams hit the Eagles quarterback late and was flagged for unnecessary roughness.
The Eagles offense did all of that without A.J. Brown even being targeted on the drive. The 25-year-old did suit up for his first game with Philadelphia after being acquired in a draft-day trade with the Tennessee Titans.
Harry Douglas @HDouglas83Donāt be <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Surprised?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Surprised</a> if <a href="https://twitter.com/Eagles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Eagles</a> QB Jalen Hurt has the BEST season from that position in the NFC EASTā¦YUP, I said it! He has the BEST OLine, the BEST TE & the BEST WR Group in that divisionā¦Oh yeah, that RUN GAME was #1 in the NFL last year as well
The questions about Hurts entering this season revolved almost entirely around his ability as a passer.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers engineered a game plan in the NFC Wild Card round in which they dared Hurts to beat them through the air. He finished just 23-of-43 for 258 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 31-15 loss.
Hurts led all quarterbacks with 782 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground last season.
One of the reasons the Eagles added Brown was to make life easier for Hurts as a passer.
Based on the very brief, early returns from one preseason series, Hurts may not even need Brown to show that he's evolved as a thrower. It will certainly be nice to have the former Pro Bowler on the outside as they continue to build a rapport heading into the regular season.