Marcus Hayes: Jalen Hurts' concussion shows why he's so important as his absence and C.J. Gardner-Johnson's ejection doom the Eagles

Marcus Hayes, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec 22, 2024

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LANDOVER, Md. — This is what the Philadelphia Eagles look like without Jalen Hurts:

Nineteen points in 54 minutes, against a pretty bad defense. Twelve points, really. No discipline. No leadership. A collapse. A loss. The end of a 10-game winning streak.

That comprised the entire production Sunday for the 11 drives begun by backup Kenny Pickett after Hurts left slightly more than five minutes into the game. He suffered a concussion. Saquon Barkley broke a 68-yard run on the second play of the second drive Pickett began, so Pickett shouldn’t get credit since, after that, the Commanders adjusted their defense, loaded the box, and dared Pickett to beat them.

Pickett did not beat them. He didn’t exactly lose the game, either. Not by himself. The ejection of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties led to three Washington passing TDs, the last with six seconds to play, and a 36-33 Commanders win.

So blame Pickett, or blame CJGJ, or blame picky refs who don’t like mouthy defensive backs.

The lesson remains the same: Be grateful for Jalen Hurts.

He’s the main reason the Eagles are 12-3. He’s the main reason the Birds made it to the brink of the NFC’s No. 1 seed, a most unlikely goal now.

Pickett failed, but then, that’s not why Pickett’s in Philadelphia. Not really. He’s being paid to babysit whenever Hurts can’t play. And when Hurts can’t play, the Eagles offense is not good. At all.

For anyone lulled into a sense of indifference regarding Hurts by the presence of Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and an offensive line with three slam-dunk Pro Bowlers, Sunday should serve as a reminder for that which they should be thankful; namely, Jalen Alexander Hurts.

It was Hurts’ poor play more than anything else that cost the Eagles eight losses in 11 games after a 10-1 start in 2023.

It was his smart play, and his occasionally brilliant play, that led them to 10 straight wins entering Sunday. This is with all due respect to Barkley, the best running back in franchise history, and Brown, the greatest receiver in franchise history. Hurts was the MVP favorite in 2022 before he got injured, and he was that because his dual-threat dynamism makes every player on the field better every play.

He occupies a spy, which means Barkley, Brown, and Smith effectively face 10 defenders instead of 11. He is the second-best running quarterback in the game, behind Lamar Jackson, a two-time and reigning MVP. When he trusts his protection and his receivers, as he did against Pittsburgh last week, he’s a top-five quarterback, worth every penny of the $255 million extension he got before the 2023 season.

His blessing is his curse. As in 2022, when he hurt his shoulder, he suffered the concussion on a designed run. These plays are the necessary evil in a scheme contingent on defenses fearing his legs; he has to use them, but that puts other, more fragile body parts at risk. Like his head.

Hurts was spotted by an NFL concussion spotter, removed from the game, examined in the sideline tent, and tried to reenter before his handlers snagged him, confiscated his helmet, and escorted him to the locker room, from whence he never returned.

He was missed.

His calm pervades the sideline. Without Hurts around, combustible Gardner-Johnson was penalized twice for unsportsmanlike conduct, the second time earning an ejection, the Commanders scoring three times through the air in his absence. Rowdy defensive tackle Jalen Carter got an unnecessary roughness penalty and was involved in at least four dustups. These are defensive players, but such is Hurts’ magnetism that he keeps everyone in line. Good quarterbacks do that.

Pickett is not a good quarterback. He finished 14 for 24 for 143 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, but he was much worse than his numbers. Pickett’s most effective play Sunday was seeking pass interference calls on Marshon Lattimore, who was trying to cover Brown. It worked three times.

Late in the game, facing third- and fourth-down conversions, Pickett misfired to Brown three times. Brown managed to catch one of them to extend the drive, which ended in a go-ahead field goal by beleaguered kicker Jake Elliott.

The Commanders turned the ball over six times: three fumbles, two interceptions, and a failed fourth-down conversion. The Eagles turned four of those turnovers into points. The sixth, a ball tipped by Darius Slay into the hands of Reed Blankenship with about three minutes to play, led to a short field goal from Elliott.

They just needed more from Pickett. Consider:

Hurts’ average passer rating during the 10-game winning streak was 115.5, which was third-best in the NFL over that span. By contrast, Pickett has never finished any of his 29 games above 108.5.

That’s not a drop-off. That’s an abyss.

The Eagles can only hope that Hurts can play again sooner than later.