Jalen Hurts shows why he's Eagles' franchise QB; Jordan Howard, LB likely out vs. Giants

PHILADELPHIA – There shouldn't be any more doubts about Jalen Hurts as the Eagles' quarterback beyond this season.

So, forget the maneuvering for a top QB in the draft or via trade next spring even though the Eagles are just about assured to have three first-round picks.

The Eagles should be all in with Hurts.

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That was evident Sunday in the Eagles' 40-29 win over the New Orleans Saints.

It had nothing to do with Hurts' passing. He completed only 13 of 24 passes for 147 yards. It's about as pedestrian an offensive outing for a quarterback as you can have.

At least, on the surface. Yet Hurts was magnificent in so many ways.

That's because the Eagles' offense has become unstoppable over the last four games especially. They surpassed 40 points for the second time this season and 30 for the fifth time, the most in either category since 2017, their Super Bowl season.

"Jalen is a special player that forces defenses to play differently," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.

There’s nothing conventional about him.

The Eagles haven't been winning with Hurts' arm. They've been doing it with his legs. Hurts had 69 yards rushing Sunday. Again, nothing extraordinary, except for the way he rushed for three touchdowns, the most in a game by a quarterback since Russell Wilson in 2012.

Hurts has eight rushing touchdowns in 11 games. Only Michael Vick, with nine in 2010, has more in a season in team history.

But mostly, Hurts left the Saints flailing away trying to stop him.

That, in turn, made it so much easier for running backs Miles Sanders, who led the Eagles with 94 yards, and Jordan Howard, who added 63 before leaving with a knee injury. And he made it easier for the offensive linemen.

"It is a big impact," Sanders said about Hurts’ running. "It is opening the holes up a lot for all of us. ... Having Jalen makes it 10 times easier."

The Eagles rushed for 242 yards Sunday against the Saints, who came into the game allowing just 72.9 yards rushing per game, tops in the NFL.

It was the second straight game the Eagles had surpassed 200 yards rushing in a game, the first time they had done that since 1978.

The Saints knew the Eagles were going to run the ball. The Saints still couldn't stop them.

Hurts left Saints defensive end Carl Granderson grasping at air when he pivoted at the Saints' 25-yard line, changed direction and ran to the corner of the end zone for the game-clinching 24-yard touchdown with 3:59 left in the game.

Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said Hurts “hit that L1 juke,” referring to a button on the Madden controller.

One Eagles fan was so enthralled by the touchdown that he threw his Hurts jersey at Hurts’ feet. Hurts picked it up and held it aloft.

"I think he threw a marker with it," Hurts said. "I didn’t see the marker till I walked away if there was one. ... I was in a different mode when I scored that touchdown because it was just something we needed to do for the team."

A 24-yard touchdown run, after all, is the same as a 24-yard touchdown pass.

Lately, we've seen Hurts do both.

And that's what makes Hurts and the Eagles most dangerous. You might think that the Eagles have become strictly a running team with Hurts not throwing more than 24 times in any of the last four games.

But there's more to it, as Hurts explained:

"I think our identity is not (just) being able to run the ball," Hurts said. "That’s not what identity is. Identity is a mentality. It’s an approach. ... It’s being physical. It’s wanting it. It’s effort. It’s all of those things. 

"It took some growth. It took a lot and we’re still evolving, we’re still growing, we’re still learning from a lot of different things."

So there was Jordan Mailata, the 6-foot-8, 365 behemoth left tackle, shoving Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport late in the first half. There was Howard bruising his way up the middle time after time in the third quarter until he left with a knee injury.

And there was wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, of all people, making a critical 23-yard reception over the middle late in the fourth quarter. The Saints had just cut the Eagles' 33-7 lead to 33-22, hoping to get the ball back to cut into it further.

Instead, Arcega-Whiteside gave the Eagles a first down at midfield.

That wasn't only the first time Arcega-Whiteside caught a pass this season. It was the first time he even had a pass thrown to him.

Sure, you can call Arcega-Whiteside a bust ever since the Eagles picked him in the second round of the 2019 draft. He likely would have been released this summer had he not made himself into a critical special teams player.

That, too, shows toughness.

"He's been asked to be a special teams guy that really is gritty and tough because he has that in his body," Sirianni said. "He's been asked to be our blocking type of receiver in critical times. So, it was great to reward him with a catch in that scenario."

A few plays later, the Eagles scored the game-clinching touchdown when Hurts, in basketball parlance, broke Granderson's ankles.

“That’s my guy,” Sanders said of Hurts. “You can kind of sense it on the field. He’s a field general. He likes to control things. It’s just natural for him. He doesn’t force anything. He has that natural leadership.

“We just follow right behind him.”

So call off the search. The Eagles have their franchise quarterback.

2 key players likely out vs. Giants

Sirianni said on Monday that linebacker Davion Taylor is likely headed to injured reserve with a knee sprain. Sirianni said Howard also has a knee sprain, but he seemed more optimistic that Howard won't have to go on IR.

Sirianni added that Howard "most likely" won't play against the Giants, but could return the following week against the Jets. Howard has 274 yards rushing on 51 carries in four games since his promotion from the practice squad.

If Taylor goes on IR, he would have to miss three games. Since the Eagles' week off falls during that time, he wouldn't be eligible to return until Dec. 26 against the Giants.

As for other injuries, cornerback Darius Slay is in the concussion protocol and linebacker Shaun Bradley has a shoulder sprain, but Sirianni said he might be able to play this Sunday.

Eagles re-sign linebacker

The Eagles signed linebacker T.J. Edwards to a one-year extension reportedly worth as much as $3.2 million. Edwards, an undrafted free agent in 2019.

Edwards became an every-down linebacker against Detroit on Oct. 31 when Eric Wilson was benched, then released. Edwards led the Eagles with 10 tackles Sunday. He also had an interception, a fumble recovery, a tackle for loss and two passes defensed.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.