Jalen Hurts makes his homecoming against the Texans on "Thursday Night Football", as he was born in Houston and grew up about 25 miles from NRG Stadium. He will do so as an MVP candidate for the 7-0 Eagles, drawing high praise from Texans head coach Lovie Smith.
"He's maybe the most improved ball player in the league this year," Smith told reporters Tuesday. "What he can do, there's a lot of good quarterbacks that can throw it, but he brings so many more things to the table."
Hurts is making the leap to a franchise quarterback in a make-or-break season. He ranks fifth in passer rating this year, right behind Josh Allen, after ranking 22nd last year, right behind Davis Mills. Only one player has seen a bigger jump in his passer rating from last season: Hurts' former Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa.
Hurts' biggest improvement has been from the inside the pocket. It's no longer as simple to game plan against him, Smith explained.
"I think for us, it's better keeping him in the pocket," Smith said. "In the past that's what we've all said. I don't know if that's necessarily the case. Just know right now, he's been pretty accurate in and out of the pocket."
Hurts' passer rating has increased by +23.1 points inside the pocket from last season, again the second-biggest gain in the league behind Tagovailoa. He's top three in the NFL in completion rate, yards per attempt and passer rating inside the pocket.
Jalen Hurts inside the pocket (last two seasons)
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
Completion percentage | 66% | 72% |
Yards per attempt | 7.3 | 9.2 |
Passer rating | 87.6 | 110.7 |
His pocket play was on full display in a 35-13 win over the Steelers in Week 8. All of his career-high four touchdown passes came from inside the pocket, where he posted a near perfect 146.4 passer rating.
He's taking full advantage of Philadelphia's supporting cast, as evidenced by two beautiful deep balls down the right sideline for touchdowns to A.J. Brown. Hurts' passer rating from the pocket is 121.9 targeting Brown this year, the fourth-best among any duo in the NFL (min. 40 targets).
It hasn't just been the addition of Brown, though. His passer rating targeting everyone else on those throws is 107.1, still good enough to be fifth in the league. So what's changed besides a new No. 1 wide receiver? Hurts has made strides with accuracy, decision-making and ball security on these throws.
Accuracy: Hurts is more than just "pretty accurate" inside the pocket, as Smith described. He has the lowest off-target rate on throws inside the pocket in the entire league this year (4.6%).
Decision-making: There's a lot less hero ball and a lot more quick decision-making, as Hurts' average pass length and time to throw have both been trimmed significantly this year. He's gone from 29th to 15th in average time to throw in the pocket. He's not always just one read and throw, either. He showcased his ability to scan the field and deliver a strike under pressure in one of the Eagles' few high-leverage situations this season in a win over the Cardinals in Week 5.
Ball security: The accuracy and decision-making both play into Hurts' third area of improvement in the pocket. He's been the leading force behind an Eagles team that has controlled the ball this season, leading the NFL in time of possession and fewest turnovers. Hurts has 291 combined pass and rush attempts this season, but just two turnovers.
Hurts' pocket play was his missing piece of the puzzle. Combine that improvement with his scrambling ability and athleticism that makes the Eagles' zone-read option and RPO offense go, and you get a player who is third in MVP odds for a Super Bowl contender. He's also off to a historic start.
Hurts is the fifth player since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger to total 300 yards per game (passing and rushing) and two or fewer turnovers through seven games.
300 YPG and two or fewer TO (first seven games since 1970)
- 2022 Jalen Hurts
- 2019 Russell Wilson
- 2017 Alex Smith
- 2016 Andy Dalton
- 2015 Tom Brady
He's a more complete player for perhaps the most complete team in the NFL. If he's going to help his team take the next step, there are still other improvements to make. He currently operates with one of the cleanest pockets in the NFL, as the Eagles have the top pass-blocking grade in the league, per Pro Football Focus. He'll face tougher pass rushes in January, though, and he can also expect defensive coordinators to pour out the kitchen sink in the form of more exotic blitz packages to create that pressure. He ranks 23rd in passer rating when pressured this year and 26th when the defense sends extra pass rushers. The next step may not be far behind, though, as three of his four touchdown passes against the Steelers last week were against their blitz.
If he keeps that up, it'll be more than just Houston who has a problem this week.
