Jalen Hurts: ‘We have a lot of opportunity in front of us’
Quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense knew what awaited them in Tampa Bay. Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles loves to bring the blitz. Hurts and Co. were ready.
Hurts was stellar in the first half, completing 15 of 16 attempts for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He also frustrated the Bucs with his legs, including his longest 29-yard scramble of the young season.
As Bowles brought the heat, and not the high temps, Hurts was 8-for-10 for 59 yards with two touchdowns on the afternoon. He wasn’t sacked once when extra rushers were sent at him. According to Next Gen Stats, Hurts had a 70 percent success rate in the first half, the second highest to start a game in his career.
Bowles backed off in the second half and the Eagles’ offense was unable to get the same traction. Hurts finished the day 15-of-24 for 130 yards with two touchdown passes, no turnovers, for a 104.5 QB rating. He also led the Eagles with 62 yards on the ground. But the Eagles’ only second-half points came off of Bucs running back Bucky Irving’s fumble in Tampa Bay territory.
“I think it was a great team win. Another gritty win, coming in and finding a way to win,” Hurts said. “We know this has been a challenging environment to play in and a really good opponent for us over the years. Just proud of the way that we competed. (We) didn’t quit, found a way, played very well situationally to an extent, obviously a lot that we can improve from, but it’s always good to get a win out here and they don’t come easy. So, we had to go out there and earn it and we did.”
Hurts avenged the last game that he lost when he started and finished, which was against the Buccaneers in Week 4 of the 2024 season. That’s 18 straight wins for Hurts and the Eagles. Hurts has the highest QB win percentage among all QBs (46-12, .793) with multiple starts since 2022, including playoffs.
“You can be on top one day and at the bottom the next. This game is very humbling and I take that approach in it,” Hurts said. “You just got to be of the notion of getting better, stretching yourself every day, trying to grow every day, having that competitive mentality with things every day. That’s what we have as a team, that’s what I have and I want to continue to build off that.”
The Eagles left Tampa Bay last season with a 2-2 record before finishing with 16 wins in their final 17 games to capture the Super Bowl title. This time around, the Eagles are 4-0 and already have a two-game edge in the division, but Hurts has the same perspective as he did in 2024.
“We had a lot of opportunity in front of us. I think we’re in a good place now, no different because we have a lot of opportunity in front of us, and so we’re looking at the standard of execution,” Hurts said.
He added: “Talent wins you games, but a certain level of team – collective play, collective attacking and intelligence in the game – that wins you championships. So, we just want to continue to build in that direction.”