Jalen Hurts shows Cowboys just how good he now is, changing narrative in prime time as Eagles go to 6-0

[time2rock]

Jalen Hurts shows Cowboys just how good he now is, changing narrative in prime time as Eagles go to 6-0

Hurts had another strong game when the lights were brightest

 

By Jeff Kerr

 

Oct 17, 2022 at 9:28 am ET

Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA --  Jalen Hurts' numbers and impressive play on the field presented him as a deserving MVP candidate through five weeks of the season. Not everyone was convinced.

Dallas Cowboys star DeMarcus Lawrence wasn't buying the Hurts hype, saying earlier in the week "he hasn't played the Cowboys yet, so we don't know how good he is." Lawrence was focusing on the Eagles quarterback to fire up a Cowboys defense that had been shutting down its opponents to stay alive in the NFC East race, beating good quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford along the way. 

Hurts didn't need Lawrence's comments as motivation or added fuel to the fire to prove a point. He already was trying to avenge an embarrassing loss to Dallas last year in prime time, as the Cowboys were a team he could not beat in his first two seasons. 

"You'd be naive to think I hadn't remembered that," Hurts said on his last encounter with the Cowboys. "I try to find value with all my experiences. That was a valuable experience for me."

Hurts didn't have to send a message to Lawrence or the Cowboys defense -- finishing 15 of 25 for 155 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions speaks for itself. Hurts is the only quarterback to have a 100-plus passer rating against the Cowboys defense this year, one that had allowed fewer than 20 points in every game they played this season before Sunday night.

The Eagles scored 20 points in the second quarter, as the Cowboys defense allowed 26 points in the loss. Dallas held Philadelphia to a season-low 268 yards, yet couldn't stop Hurts when it mattered most. In a three-point game midway through the fourth quarter, Hurts converted two third down attempts with his legs and converted all three of his pass attempts for 30 yards and a touchdown (a 7-yard pass to DeVonta Smith) to give the Eagles a 26-17 lead that would become the final score. 

Of course, everything came back to Hurts' last game against the Cowboys. Last year's version of Hurts -- the one Lawrence remembers -- wouldn't have overcome the Eagles' NFC East rivals when momentum swung their way. This year is different. 

Hurts and the Eagles know they can conquer any adversity they face. 

"You just want to find value in every experience you have," Hurts said. "I look at the people in the locker room. This is what amazes me and this is what I love about it the most. When I talk to the guys and I'm breaking the huddle down, I feel their energy. I feel their hunger. I feel their unsatisfaction. I feel all of this. That's what I love. I got guys around me that's gonna step up." 

Is Lawrence changing his opinion of Hurts? Not really.

"What I saw today was us beating ourselves," Lawrence said. "We gave them more opportunities to score the ball. It's all about getting back in it and cleaning it up, learning from these mistakes, and moving on. 

"I don't feel like we should hang our hats on a game like this. We know we played tough and learned from our mistakes. We came in here and threaded at halftime and got better, so that's all it took."

Lawrence may not be buying stock in Hurts, but the NFL has clearly taken notice of what the Eagles quarterback can do on the big stage. Not only was Hurts efficient against the Cowboys, he didn't turn the ball over against a defense that has six takeaways in the last three games. 

Hurts is a starting to develop a reputation as a big-game quarterback, another piece to the puzzle in becoming that franchise quarterback the Eagles believe he is. 

"This guy is not fazed by things. He has a great demeanor that you see in great quarterbacks that there are so many big games in the NFL," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. "That's what I love about him. He just goes and plays the next play. He controlled the offense. He was in complete control."

The Eagles are in control of the NFC East as well. Hurts' determination to improve in the national spotlight is paying huge dividends for a team that has remained unscathed through six weeks.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/jalen-hurts-shows-cowboys-just-how-good-he-now-is-changing-narrative-in-primetime-as-eagles-go-to-6-0/

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I mean you really wouldn't expect anything else from Lawrence would you. He's not going to give Hurts and this team credit, he's going to try and make his team seem a little better. That's fine though because they are 2 games back now.