DENVER – Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sat down at the podium wearing a gray sweatshirt with just one word on it: Uplift.
It wasn’t something that was profound or some earth-shattering message that Hurts was trying to convey. It was a mantra that Hurts has been sharing with the team, especially the offense.
With the team’s slow start to the season, Hurts has faced uncertainty about his status as the future franchise quarterback for the Eagles, so much so that general manager Howie Roseman went to Pittsburgh Thursday to scout two college prospects. The offense also faced questions about its identity and questions surrounding the physicality and toughness of the unit.
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That one word that Hurts has focused on has helped him and his teammates block out the outside noise while simultaneously improving the play on the field.
It was apparent in Sunday’s 30-13 win over the Denver Broncos. For the third straight week in a row, the offense focused on the run game. This time, against a Broncos defense that had allowed only 98.3 yards on the ground a game, the Eagles ran for 214 yards, putting Hurts in a position to be effective once again. Hurts completed 16 of his 23 passes for 176 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
After the game, Hurts explained the messaging he gives to his teammates.
“I told those guys to cherish every moment together, cherish every moment with your teammates, and choose to rise,” Hurts said. “Choose greatness. It’s just a mentality. You kind of feed that into your mind and you start to believe it. I think the belief we have moving forward is just to continue to rise, continue to learn, and continue to build and play together.”
Hurts said he knew that it would not happen overnight, but the constant belief that the team had the players necessary to be successful, coupled with the improvement they have made limiting the penalties and lack of execution offensively, is helping to make the offense more potent.
“It seems like we’re finding that groove. We’re making that progress that we want to make as a football team and as an offense. We want to go out there and be consistent in whatever way we decide to attack the defense. Whether it be running it 40 times, whatever it is, we want to be efficient as a football team and as an offense.”
Right tackle Lane Johnson has also noticed a change in the offense in how it is executing and the mentality the unit is taking. Johnson said Hurts’ unfazed, unwavering approach has been effective because he does not overreact to the good and bad moments.
“He’s always composed,” Johnson said. “He never seems to get too cheerful about stuff or get too down. Every day is like that. He has just been consistent. He works hard and leads our team at practice and every day.”
With an identity in place and Hurts starting to come into his own as a leader on the team and as a starting quarterback, the Eagles have become a lot tougher to stop. In the next seven games, the Eagles will face five teams that currently have a losing record. With the Eagles taking to Hurts’ belief of rising and getting better, they could be putting themselves in a position to make things very interesting at the end of the year.
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.
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