Despite a 10-game winning streak and a 12-2 record, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts continues to struggle with gaining full respect.
Dan Orlovsky from ESPN took aim at Hurts on December 19 during “First Take,” ranking the NFL All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler outside his top five NFC quarterbacks.
“I wouldn’t put (Hurts) in my top five right now,” Orlovsky remarked. “Jalen is playing really well … it’s not a knock on Jalen.”
Orlovsky not only excluded Hurts from his Top 5, but he nearly placed him outside the Top 10 altogether. He ranked quarterbacks like Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers), Sam Darnold (Minnesota Vikings), Jared Goff (Detroit Lions), Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams), and rookie Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders) ahead of Hurts, who signed a five-year, $255 million extension with the Eagles in March 2023.
Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback, is perhaps best remembered for one of the league’s most infamous blunders. In the 2008 season, while playing for the Detroit Lions, he stepped out of his own end zone for a safety, contributing to a 12-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That year, the Lions went 0-16, the first NFL team to finish the regular season winless since the 1978 schedule expansion.
Hurts has also faced criticism within his own team this season, despite the Eagles’ strong performance. After a 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers on December 8, Eagles wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith publicly criticized the passing game after Hurts completed 14 of 21 passes for 108 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
A week later, Hurts revealed to The Associated Press that he was playing through a broken finger on his left, non-throwing hand after a 27-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he passed for 290 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s broken, and it did impact my play,” Hurts admitted. “If it’s shattered, it’s shattered. It is what it is.”
Steven Ruiz from The Ringer added to the criticism, suggesting Hurts was “closer to bottom 10” as a quarterback on an episode of “The Ringer NFL Show” on December 11. He remarked that Hurts’ performance in 2024 had regressed compared to the previous year, even with better surrounding talent. Ruiz argued that Hurts was struggling to make key throws, although the exact reasons for his decline remained unclear.
Leave a Reply