The Eagles relied heavily on quarterback Jalen Hurts while going to the Super Bowl last season, but they had not put as much on his shoulders through the first four weeks of this season.
Sunday saw a return to their old ways. Hurts had season highs in passing and rushing attempts and he made enough of them to help the Eagles get to 5-0 with a 23-14 win over the Rams. Hurts was 25-of-38 for 303 yards through the air and he ran 15 times for 72 yards to lead the team on the ground. He ran for one touchdown, threw for another, and picked up six first downs on third downs runs over the course fo the game.
The performance made left tackle Jordan Mailata credit the quarterback with doing what was necessary to lift the Eagles to victory.
“The relief is like, first down, we’re not getting off the field, hell yeah, continue the drive, let’s go get some points,” Mailata said, via Tim McManus of ESPN.com. “That’s how I feel when he does that. I’m like, ‘I love you. Thank you for doing that.’ He bailed us out, man. He just used football IQ. He knows the routes, he knows how far they’re going; and if he doesn’t like what he’s seeing, he’s just going to take off and use his legs. That’s him.”
After a Week Four overtime win over the Commanders, the message from the Eagles was that they are still putting things together. Sunday’s game showed there is still work to do, but they will try to tackle it with a 5-0 record and a quarterback who offered a reminder of just how much he brings to the table in their latest win.
