Mr. Right

[time2rock]

Mr. Right

Posted: January 27th, 2025 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

Jalen Hurts is not the best quarterback in the NFL. We can argue if he’s Top 5, Top 10 or Top 15. It really doesn’t matter, though. What is most important is that Hurts is the right QB for the Eagles. He led them to the Super Bowl in 2022 and has them back there again this season.

Going to multiple Super Bowls isn’t easy.

Lamar Jackson puts up video game numbers (41 passing TDs, 4 INTs???). Josh Allen makes plays that make him look like Superman. Joe Burrow is the best pocket passer in the league and is coming off his best season. Those three have combined for one SB appearance.

But they have to go through Patrick Mahomes so that is tough to hold against them. Fair enough.

Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott have been in the NFL for a combined 45 years. They have a combined 2 SB appearances. Both were wins.

The point here isn’t to argue that Hurts is better. He is the right guy at the right time for the right team. Hurts is talented, but also versatile. Back in 2022 the Eagles finished the season 9th in passing yards and 5th in rushing. With Miles Sanders as the RB, Hurts threw more. The Eagles had a balanced attack.

This season they added Saquon Barkley. It was clear from Week 1 that he was a special dude. The team started 2-2 and some offensive linemen went to Nick Sirianni to let him know they wanted to run more and thought it would help the team win. The coaches listened and the Eagles became a running team. The Eagles were last in the league in passing attempts, while leading the team in rushing attempts.

Both seasons resulted in a trip to the Super Bowl because Hurts was able to adjust his game and do whatever was needed. If the Eagles are feeding the ball to Barkley, Hurts can win with throwing 20 passes and protecting the ball. His numbers pale in comparison to Burrow for instance, but Hurts has the #1 defense in the league so he doesn’t need to put up gaudy stats.

Hurts showed on Sunday that he can still win big games by throwing the ball.

And he can still make big time throws.

That was a critical juncture in the game. The Eagles went up 20-12 and had control of the game the rest of the way. That throw was accurate and had good touch. Big time throw in a critical situation. If he misses, WAS can go kick a FG and take the lead. Hurts made sure that didn’t happen.

When we evaluate QBs as individuals, Hurts isn’t going to be ranked as high as some would like. If the NFL added a new franchise, made me the GM and let me take any QB from around the league, Hurts wouldn’t be one of my top choices. I would probably go with Burrow or Mahomes. That isn’t an insult to Hurts. Those guys have more natural talent.

But football isn’t an individual sport. This isn’t tennis or golf. Or even baseball, where a hitter or pitcher can post stats that show how they function in a pretty definitive way. Football is a team game. The way a QB plays affects his team in a massive way. QB wins can still be a flawed stat, but it is more important than some would have you to believe.

Think about Jared Goff. He just had a great regular season and led the Lions to a 15-2 record and the #1 seed. Goff then threw 3 INTs in their playoff loss. That will eat at him all offseason. Josh Allen struggled on the QB sneak/tush push on Sunday and that might have cost Buffalo the game. Justin Herbert blew a 27-0 lead in the playoffs in 2022 and then played poorly a few weeks back, throwing 4 picks and going 14 for 32.

Hurts hasn’t turned the ball over this postseason. He’s thrown for 3 TDs and run for 4. He’s been very good on the Brotherly Shove. He’s made key throws in each game. He also has done a good job of adjusting plays at the LOS. Some of Barkley’s big runs are due to Hurts having the offense in the right play. What stat do we use to judge that?

Hurts helps to set the tone for the team. He is all about winning. He puts his ego in his back pocket and focuses on what the Eagles need to do to win on that day. On Sunday that was throwing 28 passes. The previous week in a snow game the key was handing the ball off and protecting it. The Eagles won both games.

Don’t get worked up when analysts talk about Hurts weaknesses and issues. There is a need for talk show fodder and trying to put nuance on QB discussions isn’t going to drive ratings. Sadly, people want dumb debates on who is a great QB and who is overrated.

While it may be frustrating to see some in the media focus too much on Hurts issues, that stuff fuels him. The worst thing would be for everyone to tell him how great he is. So make sure that bum knows how bad he stinks!!!

*****

I almost feel bad for Giants fans. But I don’t…

Very well done. Kudos.

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