How Jalen Hurts saved the Eagles from the Jaguars coach's crazy decisions

PHILADELPHIA − It’s easy to take what you see for granted.

Sure, Saquon Barkley can credit his “God-given talent” for treating Jaguars defensive back Jarrian Jones like a gymnastics apparatus with his reverse hurdle throw over Jones. And you might marvel at DeVonta Smith’s one-handed grab and toe drag in the back of the end zone.

But these plays don’t just happen. And all you had to do was listen to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts after the Eagles’ 28-23 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

All of these spectacular plays, including Nakobe Dean’s diving interception in the end zone with 1:38 left, allowed the Eagles to once again overcome head coach Nick Sirianni’s questionable – to say the least – decision to miss two field goals on fourth-down conversion attempts, which failed.

There were also three failed two-point conversion attempts. For those keeping score, that’s nine points awarded by Sirianni. And it almost cost the Eagles.

“It should have been a 40-point game,” Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said angrily after the game. “And I felt like the yards we got should be a reflection of that.”

The Eagles more than doubled the Jaguars’ total, outrebounding them 447-211. But without Barkley’s spread-Eagle reverse hurdle throw, his 20-yard over-the-shoulder TD catch, Smith’s catch and Dean’s interception, the Eagles would have suffered one of those season-killing losses to a Jaguars team coming into the game the game was 2-6.

“It’s all about scoring points,” Johnson added. “The yards don’t matter. Yards don’t win you the game. There were several times where we could have gotten points, but we didn’t.”

So let’s get back to Hurts’ role. And it goes beyond the stats, which were impressive enough. Hurts was 18 of 24 for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns, with a passer rating of 132.3. He also ran for an 18-yard touchdown.

It was Hurts’ fourth straight game without a turnover and with a score of 119 or higher. The Eagles won all four games.

Still, Hurts was never better than on his TD pass to Smith midway through the fourth quarter when the Eagles faced a 3rd-and-22 at the Jaguars’ 25. Hurts then threw the ball deep into the right sideline. Smith reached out with one hand and hugged the ball to his body, somehow getting both feet into the ball before falling out of the end zone.

The crazy thing about this piece? Hurts said he never saw Smith.

“Sometimes I think people don’t really realize how much a quarterback lacks vision in certain situations,” Hurts said. “I didn’t have much of an idea about him, but I think the amount of times we repeated those types of routes, I got a feel for him. I think it’s also a connection thing, and then I put it in a point where he can just get it, and then he does one heck of a performance.”

And with Smith, this doesn’t happen in a vacuum either.

“I saw him make that play in practice,” Hurts said. “I saw him stick a hand out in the corner of the end zone and make the same great play.”

Hurts then mentioned working with Barkley in the offseason on these bike routes. Sure, Barkley managed 159 yards on 22 carries. But Barkley is an all-down back because of his ability as a receiver. On Barkley’s 20-yard TD catch to open the score, Barkley beat Delaware native Darnell Savage, a safety as opposed to an overwhelmed linebacker.

How does this happen?

“I think trust, continuity, those are all words I’ve said a thousand times,” Hurts said. “That’s a hell of a play against a safety. Some might say it’s not a favorable match, but (Barkley) made a hell of a play. It’s about continuing to expand your repertoire.”

All of that was enough for the Eagles to defeat their coach again.

The Eagles attempted the two-point conversion because the Jaguars’ penalty put the ball at the 1-yard line. And in such situations, the Eagles relied on their bread-and-butter game: the tush push. The Jaguars stopped both.

What went wrong?

“I’ll be honest,” left guard Landon Dickerson said. “I don’t see much. I’m at the bottom of the heap. I see quite a bit of dirt.”

Those missed tush pushes may have impacted the play call when the Eagles faced a 4th-and-1 from the Jaguars’ 25 late in the third quarter. Instead of lining up for the tush push, Hurts attempted a pass that fell incomplete.

“I have to be able to really have the courage at the end and say, ‘Am I doing everything I can do to help us win the game?'” Sirianni said. “In those moments I thought it was me. But I’ll go back and watch it again. I will always be hypercritical of myself.”

Hurts saved him. Hurts seemed to get the most joy from a 46-yard deep ball to Smith, who set up the 25-yard touchdown. Hurts was asked about that game and his ability to throw the ball deep.

“This is the first time I’ve heard this,” Hurts said of his ability to throw the ball deep. “Do you know why?”

The reporter asked why.

“Because they said I can’t,” Hurts replied.

Who are they? The reporter said it wasn’t him.

“I appreciate it,” Hurts said. “That was one that I struggled with all week in training. I had a chance against AJ (Brown) in training. I had a chance against Smitty in training. I didn’t hit it right. It just didn’t click. We.” We repeated it, we talked about it and invested time.

“And we were able to implement it at a crucial moment. Just a great overall effort from everyone.”

Here’s how the Eagles won that game.

Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl, on Threads and Instagram @martinfrank1.

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