Jalen Hurts took his play to another level Monday night, dicing up the Minnesota Vikings through the air and plowing over defenders on the ground as the Philadelphia Eagles dominated in a 24-7 victory.
Hurts went 26-of-31 passing -- an 83.9 completion rate -- for 333 yards and a touchdown and added 11 carries for 57 rushing yards and two more scores. He became the first player in NFL history to have an 80-plus completion percentage, 300-plus passing yards and two rushing TDs in a single game, per NFL Research.
The QB made the right reads over and over from the pocket and on the move, displaying pinpoint accuracy to all levels.
Hurts' impressive play to open the season doesn't shock coach Nick Sirianni, who called it a "big-time performance on a big-time stage."
"I wouldn't say I'm surprised. I've seen the growth," he said, via the team's transcript. "We talk about this so much with Jalen. Why is he going to continue to reach his ceiling? Because he's tough, he has high football character, and he loves football. He's going to reach his ceiling. It's fun watching him grow."
Through two weeks, Hurts has displayed difference-making talent as both a runner and passer. He's dynamic on the ground, but if he continues to show the type of ability from the pocket displayed Monday night against a good defensive line, that ceiling on his career will only get higher.
As a leader, Hurts credited the men around him.
"I said it earlier, no man is an island," he said. "You have to draw your strength from others. I can't perform without the other 10 on the field. Same on the other side. They need me to do my job for them to eat. It's a collective group. It was a big team win. A big-time team win. It's something that we will definitely enjoy, but we have a short week. We're headed to [Washington,] D.C., so we'll enjoy it for a little bit and get ready for our next opponent."
Entering the offseason, the biggest question in Philly was whether Hurts could prove he's the future franchise quarterback. Through two weeks, the 24-year-old answered that with a resounding yes.
"He's put in so much work. Of course, it has, it's slowing down," Sirianni said. "But it should, right, at this point. He is further into his process, and we're talking about getting better every day and he lives that. He's one of our of captains, one of our leaders, and he lives the theory of getting better every day. That's why you're seeing major improvements, it's because of the type of person and the type of player he is."
