The Philadelphia Eagles are set to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what could be a very intriguing Wild Card matchup. After making the postseason, no one is giving the Eagles much of a chance to move past the Bucs. However, Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, and company are ready to shock the world and prove all of the doubters wrong.
Earlier this season, these two teams faced off against each other. Tampa Bay ended up defeating the Eagles by a final score of 28-22. Hurts struggled to get things going in that game.
Prior to the re-match this weekend, Nick Sirianni took some time to talk about his young quarterback. He opened up a bit about how much Hurts has improved since the last time the Eagles took on the Buccaneers.
“I think significantly. He has definitely gotten better throughout that time, which doesn’t surprise me at all because Jalen is a student of the game. Jalen wants to get better and craves to get better. He has high football character and, like I have said plenty of times, guys that are tough, guys that have high football character and guys who love football are going to reach their ceiling.”
Hurts came into the season being given a chance to prove that he can be the long-term quarterback for the Eagles. He made the most of that opportunity. Not only did he have a good individual season, he led his team to the postseason.
Throughout the course of the regular season, Hurts ended up completing 61.3 percent of his pass attempts for 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also picked up 784 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Those numbers show how good Hurts was in his second NFL season and first as a starter.
Granted, he still has some work to do on his arm. He needs to become a more prolific and consistent passer. But, his ability to throw decently well and make plays with his legs make him a very dangerous matchup for any defense.
All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what Jalen Hurts ends up doing this weekend. The Eagles need a big game from their young quarterback to knock off the Buccaneers. We’ll have to wait and see if he can rise to the occasion.
