ATLANTA -- Jalen Hurts needed just seven plays Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons to show Eagles fans that this year will be different.
The polarizing starting quarterback wasted little time displaying his dual-threat ability in the 32-6 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as he completed all four of his first-series passes, ran for a first down and tossed a beautiful bucket-pass touchdown to first-round pick DeVonta Smith.
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The first scripted drive of the Nick Sirianni era felt coherent, specifically in the way it utilized Hurts’ strengths. Sirianni scripted three consecutive short throws for Hurts, as he targeted summer superstar Quez Watkins on a pair of screens and then in the flat. From there, Hurts used the threat of his legs to open up space for himself and running back Miles Sanders, moving the chains in the process. Finally, with the Falcons defense wary of the line of scrimmage and the running game, the offense used a natural pick play to perfection, as Smith broke free in the end zone and Hurts hit him with the rainbow lob.
During the final two years of the Doug Pederson era, scoring on the opening drive -- especially with touchdowns -- was a rarity, as the head coach’s play-calling, along with former franchise quarterback Carson Wentz’s inconsistencies, kept the offense from starting off strong. In seven plays, Hurts and Sirianni accomplished something that Pederson and Wentz did only twice in their final 12 games together: they scored an opening-drive touchdown.
Hurts wasn’t perfect in his debut as the Eagles’ undeniable QB1, but it was clear that Sirianni and Hurts were in lockstep with each other. The play-caller meshed his creativity with the quarterback’s skill set. That’s something that had eluded Hurts and Sirianni’s predecessors during their downward spiral out of Philadelphia.
It was was just one game, but it was evident there was a rhythm -- and maybe more importantly a reason -- for each play call. And Hurts, certainly took advantage, mixing his playground-style elusiveness with budding improvement as a passer.
There was no panic from Hurts. He took what Sirianni -- and the defense -- gave him. He spread the ball around to targets like Smith, Watkins, Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz. He also kept plays alive with his legs while also keeping his eyes downfield for potential pickups in the passing game.
Hurts’ performance was a far cry from Wentz’s woes last season. Hurts also showed tremendous growth from his rookie season, as he worked the middle of the field consistently and was accurate as a passer throughout the majority of the matchup against the Falcons.
This is a different quarterback. This is a different player. He’s evolved this offseason under a new play-caller, and that maturation was evident against the Falcons, as Hurts led five scoring drives, threw for 264 yards, completed 77.1% of his passes and had three touchdown completions. He also picked up 62 rushing yards on seven carries.
While Hurts still had some issues with vision and scoping out open receivers, his understanding of his surroundings and ability to distribute the ball all over the field offered promise that the end of Wentz’s tenure simply failed to do, for even longer than most would like to admit.
Here’s a report card of Hurts’ Week 1 performance:
Accuracy
Hurts showed improved accuracy from last season, especially in the short-to-intermediate range. For the most part, Hurts took what the defense gave him. He also had the occasional dart into tight coverage, including a touchdown strike -- on the move -- to Goedert in the second quarter.
GRADE: B+
Mobility
Hurts had “juice” on the ground, as Sirianni dialed up designed runs for the dual-threat quarterback. Hurts also kept passing plays alive with his legs, taking advantage of his rare pocket mobility to extend passing windows. Hurts ran for 62 yards on seven carries.
GRADE: A
Spreading the ball around
Hurts’ favorite target was Smith. The former Alabama teammates connected on six of eight targets for 71 yards and a touchdown. Hurts also completed all six of his passes to Reagor for 49 yards and a touchdown. Hurts ultimately connected with seven different receivers against the Falcons, with touchdown throws to three different targets.
GRADE: A (the original posting had a B+, it was meant to be an A and has been updated)
Command of the offense
As previously mentioned, Sirianni’s play-calling enabled Hurts’ playmaking ability. Hurts rarely offered up a negative play, even with incompletions. Hurts played within himself and the system, and the results were favorable.
GRADE: B+
While Hurts offered plenty of flash as a rookie, this performance was easily the most complete of his five career starts. He was -- for the most part -- accurate as a passer, efficient as a distributor and electric as a runner. It’s hard to think of a much better outcome for his first outing as a bonafide QB1.
Overall Grade: A-
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Mike Kaye may be reached at mkaye@njadvancemedia.com.
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