Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ Playoff Struggles Called ‘Alarming’

If you want to see the most stark contrast of old school football against new school football in recent memory, tune into the NFC Championship Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders.

On one side will be Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, an electric playmaker who has set the NFL on fire as a rookie with a mix of elite playmaking that is equal parts beating teams with his feet as much as with his arm.

On the other side will be Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, one of the NFL’s highest paid players and someone who doesn’t seem capable of playing quarterback at an elite level anymore. Hurts’ team isn’t just going to run the ball a lot, but they’re going to try and actively avoid situations where he has to win the game with his arm.

It’s a stunning regression for Hurts, who has yet to pass for over 150 yards in either of the Eagles’ playoff wins, including an especially rough outing in a 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.

Against the Rams, Hurts was 15-of-20 passing for 128 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions but missed on some critical throws, took several bad sacks and even took a safety in the second half.

“The stuff that’s going on with Hurts is alarming,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on The Bill Simmons Podcast on January 23. “I don’t like trusting QBs who are playing like (expletive), and he’s playing like (expletive). How about the explosive plays he’s missed in the 2 games, where he’s had A.J. (Brown) open deep and either threw it out of bounds or was late on the throw? That safety he took against the Rams in the second half was one of the worst quarterback plays of the year. It was unbelievable that happened … that’s something that would happen with somebody replacing Deshaun Watson on the Browns. Not with Jalen Hurts, who’s been to a Super Bowl.”

Hurts Has Dealt With Major Injury Issues

Hurts tweaked his knee in the win over the Rams, which brings up a recurring theme for the fourth-year starter over the last part of the season.

Despite going 14-3, Hurts was very rarely the difference maker this year with the emergence of free agent running back Saquon Barkley and played through a broken finger in Week 14 then missed the last 3 games of the season with a concussion before returning for the playoffs.

From Heavy.com’s Daniel Arwas: “Jalen Hurts went off late in the third quarter after sustaining a knee injury, caused by an awkward landing from a sack by Rams undrafted rookie safety, Jaylen McCollough. Immediately after the game, Hurts assured fans that he will play on Sunday, whilst head coach Nick Sirianni gave a slightly more cautious response.

One interesting stat to consider on Hurts in the postseason applies directly to his passing performances. With Hurts as the starting quarterback in 7 playoff game ssince 2021, the Eagles are 4-3 with Hurts throwing for less than 155 yards in all 4 wins and throwing for over 250 yards in all 3 losses.