Eagles lucky they weren’t facing ‘a major league quarterback,’ Jalen Hurts balled out, and what else they’re saying
The Birds beat the Vikings on Sunday, but it wasn’t all perfect — despite Hurts’ perfect passer rating.
The Eagles got back in the win column Sunday, snapping a two-game losing skid with a 28-22 victory over Carson Wentz and the Vikings in Minnesota.
After six weeks of inconsistency and discord on offense, the Eagles’ passing game finally showed what it’s capable of — but the rushing attack remained stagnant. Here’s what national media had to say about the win and what it means moving forward …
A ‘definite step in the right direction’ but ...
While one former defensive end, Brandon Graham, mulls a comeback from retirement, another, Chris Long, is still hesitant about the Birds despite the win, even as an improved offense had to leg it out against backup quarterback Wentz.
“This is a definite step in the right direction when it comes to the big-play ability of the offense,” Long said. “You’d love to see them play with more rhythm. I’m not sitting up here hating on a win on the road, but I would like to see a little bit more consistency. If you play like that against a major league quarterback, it might not go that way.”
Wentz finished with 313 passing yards, a pair of interceptions, and another 28 yards on the ground.
Despite the too-close-for-comfort win, the offensive line was “fantastic” and Jalen Hurts was “perfect,” so it was still a big improvement over the Birds’ two previous losses, Long said.
» READ MORE: Eagles still can’t run the ball, but Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and A.J. Brown made sure it didn’t matter
A reminder from Hurts
After an offseason full of discourse about where Hurts ranked among the best NFL quarterbacks and the offense’s inconsistency to start the year, Sunday was a reminder of Hurts’ passing ability.
Hurts put up a perfect passer rating in Minnesota, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns and competing 19 of 23 pass attempts.
“This is a sign not just for the fans, or the people that hate on us, but really for our coaching staff,” LeSean McCoy said. “I think he has to remind you that he can throw the ball. … Jalen Hurts has a really good deep ball, and when you threaten the defense that you’ll throw the deep ball, that’s what happens. Why would we have a guy like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, if we’re not going to use him?
“Jalen Hurts can play the quarterback position. It was time that we finally get to see him really play it.”
» READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts again roasts Carson Wentz; A.J. Brown says ‘Just throw me the bleeping ball’ | Marcus Hayes
Put ‘their foot on the gas’
The Birds were aggressive with the deep ball, even on fourth down, taking advantage of their elite receivers and finding explosive plays that eluded them before Sunday.
“The Eagles are so talented that it kind of makes them conservative,” former quarterback Alex Smith said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up. “That’s been the biggest complaint in the passing game and running game by the entire NFL world. Here we are, at Minnesota, against a Brian Flores defense, which is as exotic and aggressive as it gets, and you have to match that aggressiveness. … This team needs to play with their foot on the gas.”