PHILADELPHIA – Walking out in a red hoodie Wednesday afternoon, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts looked down at the folded-up piece of paper, combing over each line to get a sense of what was on tap for the day. It was the script for the walk-through schedule that was about to be underway in a few minutes.
A year ago, Hurts was doing it for the first time as a starting quarterback, preparing to take on the New Orleans Saints. A lot has happened over the year. The quarterback he replaced, Carson Wentz, is now playing for the Indianapolis Colts, and the coach who was calling the plays into his headset, Doug Pederson, was fired. Hurts has also constantly been questioned about if he is the right player to take the team into the future.
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Now, with a new coaching staff and showing improvement as the season has moved along, Hurts is preparing for the Saints once again, this time with some more experience.
Before practice, Hurts reflected on what happened, saying the time has allowed him to grow in and develop in three areas.
“Everything becomes finer with time,” Hurts said. “I think for me, I have got a lot more comfortable with a ton of different things, whether it be the city, the coaches, overall building relationships to bring that comfort, and that comfort typically brings success.”
Through 10 games this season, the Hurts has completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,159 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Hurts has also shown his ability to run the ball well, gaining 547 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Hurts and the Eagles offense have done better in the last few games by converting their third downs to extend drives and score in the red zone.
Entering Sunday’s game, the Eagles have completed 44.2% of their third downs, the sixth-best percentage in the league. The focus on the run game has put the offense in a more manageable position to convert. The team is also sixth in the league in red-zone scoring (68.6%).
Hurts himself has placed the burden on himself to improve these areas. Hertz said he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that the offense would convert in these crucial situations.
“For me, there has been an emphasis to convert on third downs and to score in the red zone in whatever way that looks like,” Hurts said. “Whether it is me jumping over a guy or standing and throwing it, whatever it is, it’s just about getting the third-down conversions to move the sticks and get points.”
Hurts will be facing a Saints team tied for third in the league in red-zone defense, only allowing opposing offenses to score 46.2% of the time they are inside the 20-yard line. One thing that Hurts can take advantage of against the Saints is using his legs to roll out toward the sidelines to buy time for the receivers to get open near the end zone. Hurts’ ability to run can draw a linebacker or safety away in coverage to open things up downfield, creating more scoring opportunities.
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.
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