Jalen Hurts’ calming presence is exactly what the Eagles need

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Jalen Hurts’ best came down to two games on Sunday, just two. Second quarter, fourth-and-3 from the Giants’ 41-yard line. Falling back. Hang in the bag. Take a frontal hit. Throw a beautiful, deep throw down the left sideline to AJ Brown, the ball falling into Brown’s hands as cleanly as a coin through the slot of a soda machine. A 14-point lead for the Eagles. “An aggressive game,” Hurts later called it, and a decisive one at that.

Fourth quarter. First game. Third-and-7 at the Giants’ 34. Linebacker Matthew Adams breaks the line with a blitz, a free shot at a stationary quarterback. But he slides down Hurts’ left leg like a firefighter on a pole, and even though his knees give out, Hurts stays on his feet, sprints right, gains 16 yards and gets a first down. Five games later, it’s time for Tush Push. Eagles 28, Giants 3. Goodnight, good luck, and before you leave the parking lot, be sure to sweep up the ashes of the Saquon Barkley jerseys you burned.

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Two great pieces. That’s all. That was enough. For the second week in a row, Hurts went through a game without committing a turnover, without making a throw or other decision that was baffling in its recklessness or cluelessness, without doing anything to make it harder for the Eagles to get one To beat the opponent they should beat nine times out of ten. If a quarterback has the season that Hurts had two years ago, if he surpasses Patrick Mahomes in a performance worthy of winning the Super Bowl MVP award, if he and his team agree to a contract extension that could pay off if one brought him up to $255 million, the big plays are usually no longer surprising. People assume they will see them, and often. They become an expectation.

“You want to be able to win in a variety of ways,” Hurts said, “and I think as we continue to build, we’ll see more of that.” That’s what the good offenses have. You are capable of both. They are not one-dimensional.

“Everyone knows what ball we can play. That’s why we are bound to this standard [by] all. So the reality is you just have to keep climbing.”

He was completely right. There is a standard for Hurts and the Eagles, and perhaps now, nearly five years into his career with them, it is time to adjust that standard. To lower it a bit. He was outstanding against the Browns last week, perhaps the best part of an otherwise unimpressive game by the Eagles offense, and he was clean and efficient and didn’t have to do too much against the Giants: 10 of 14, 114 passing yards – 89 of which came a man, Brown – and a few QB sneak TDs.

Much of his day’s work consisted of one simple task: Don’t make a devastating and inexcusable mistake. Give the ball to Barkley. Evade.

“He just emphasized the things he wanted to work on and the things we needed to work on for the team’s success,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “That’s something about Jalen Hurts: Anything he feels or we feel or anyone feels like we need to get better, he’s going to work hard for it. I really admire him for that.”

He should. For all the tension that seems to simmer beneath Hurts’ sometimes cryptic public comments about his head coach, everyone benefits from each other’s presence. Although he appeared noticeably more subdued on Sunday compared to last week’s postgame press conference, Sirianni generally speaks and behaves as if an electrical cord is crackling through him, never more so than in the last two weeks. Hurts grounds him. He was and should continue to be the Eagles’ stabilizing force, taking on and filling the role of the team’s mature leader.

As a franchise quarterback, Hurts has the power and influence in his relationship with Sirianni, and he often speaks as if he knows it. He did it on Sunday.

“Obviously he knows I have his back,” Hurts said. “He knows that communication is important in a team sport and he has done a good job. He really comes into it with great intensity and good intention and tries to send good messages so that we are focused and on the same page. He also apologizes when he has to.”

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This is as strong a defense of Sirianni as Hurts has ever seen, and it’s a long time coming. There were occasions when he seemed hesitant to praise him and stand up for his coach the way Sirianni has always stood up for him, particularly during those nine straight games when Hurts couldn’t stop throwing interceptions or losing fumbles .

Sunday was better. Sunday was quieter for Siranni and cleaner for Hurts. Sunday was the most lopsided Eagles win in more than a year. None of this is a coincidence. Two great plays and solid, smooth, mistake-free football from Jalen Hurts. That’s all. This is now the correct standard.