Eagles News: ESPN ranks Jalen Hurts as the second-best quarterback from the 2020 NFL Draft

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Ranking 2020 NFL draft QBs: Burrow, Tua, Herbert, Hurts - ESPN+
The first off the board is the same guy who came off first in 2020: Joe Burrow. His accuracy, decision-making and ability to process quickly is extraordinary for a player this early into his career. He has recovered from the serious knee injury he suffered as a rookie, and we’ve seen him make major strides. He has been playing at a superstar level longer than any of the other passers on this list. Burrow is the oldest, which hurts him a little bit, but the only thing he lacks is elite arm strength. The first pick was chalk, but the second sees Jalen Hurts fly up the board and pass the three other first-round picks from 2020. (Jordan Love was taken by the Packers at No. 26.) Hurts’ steady-yet-spectacular development over the course of his career speaks to both his work ethic and his talent. He has proved the concerns about his mechanics or passing ability from before the draft to be nonissues. I would be a little concerned about him taking so many hits as a runner and passer, but he has a cleaner injury history than Tagovailoa and Herbert.

Odell Beckham Jr. to the Eagles? - BGN
‘Which team is Odell Beckham Jr. going to sign with?’ has been an annoyingly over-discussed question lately as the free agent wide receiver gears up for a return to football after suffering an ACL injury in the Super Bowl. OBJ began visiting teams late last week, first meeting with the Buffalo Bills before moving on to the New York Giants and then the Dallas Cowboys. It seemed inevitable that OBJ would sign a deal with Dallas given all the flirtation going on there. But that doesn’t seem so certain to happen now. While visiting the Cowboys, a report was leaked about how OBJ might not be ready to play this season. Jerry Jones didn’t give a straight answer when asked about OBJ’s availability this year. And so it’s not perfectly clear what’s next for OBJ. But apparently a team he didn’t even visit (to public knowledge, at least) is in the mix to sign him. The Philadelphia Eagles.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.87: Nobody lost last week because we had a tie! - BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) and RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) discuss the biggest storylines in the division.

NFL QB Index, Week 14: Joe Burrow knocking on door of top three; Tom Brady doing Tom Brady things - NFL.com
2) Jalen Hurts. The face of the league’s most versatile offense, Hurts can do it all. One week after gashing the Packers for 157 yards rushing — the leading chunk of Philly’s 363 ground yards against a winded Green Bay outfit — Hurts demoralized Tennessee’s defense for 380 yards through the air in a fireworks display starring a revenge-fueled A.J. Brown. Running an attack that ranks fourth in yards per drive and second in points per march — and, thanks heavily to Hurts, first in ground-game DVOA — Philly’s second-year starter is much more than a viable MVP candidate. He’s fully arrived for a team that just a year ago was still evaluating his future as a pro. His growth is stunning.

Predicting the 2022 NFL MVP: Here comes Bengals QB Joe Burrow - PFF
QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles. Week 13 stats: 68.2 PFF grade | 0.46 EPA per play. Season to date: 87.0 PFF grade | 0.13 EPA per play. Just when it looked like the wheels might fall off a bit, the Eagles offense has started an impressive stretch of play. Hurts is definitely a force to be reckoned with in the MVP race. The rematch with the Cowboys in Week 16 will probably play a huge role in the number of MVP votes he receives.

Spadaro: Jalen Hurts stares down Giant challenge this Sunday - PE.com
The date was November 28, 2021, and in the fog of a tough 13-7 defeat at the New York Giants, through the bitter feelings of the loss, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts put himself front and center taking responsibility. “Today, I put us in a bad situation with those turnovers I had in the first half, especially going in with the opportunity to get points before halftime,” said Hurts, who threw three interceptions and went 14-of-31 passing for 129 yards, finishing with a 17.5 quarterback rating. “It’s something we have to overcome and we will.” Since that game, the Eagles are 15-2 in the regular season, their losses an end-of-2021 game against Dallas and a loss to Washington after an 8-0 start this season. Hurts has more than overcome that hiccup at MetLife Stadium, as his Most Valuable Player-level season continued on Sunday with an NFC Offensive Player of the Week performance – 380 passing yards, 3 touchdowns in the win over Tennessee – for a second consecutive Sunday. And since that day at the Giants, just over one full calendar year to the date, the Eagles have found their identity on offense. It has taken some time, of course, because there is a long learning period when a new coaching staff comes in teaching the scheme to a quarterback in his first full season as a starter and the pieces around the quarterback take some time to fit just right.

Eagles at Giants: Five matchups to watch - PhillyVoice
The Eagles made a concerted effort to attack a young group of Titans corners last Sunday. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith responded by combining for 13 catches for 221 yards and 3 TDs. The Giants have played decent pass defense this year, allowing just 6.6 yards per pass attempt. But they are not well-equipped to stop Brown, Smith, and the rest of the Eagles’ passing offense. One last quick note: The Giants’ best defensive player this season has been DT Dexter Lawrence (54 tackles, 6 sacks, 20 QB hits). He had to play 77 (!) snaps in an overtime game against the Commanders on Sunday, so he may not be very fresh this week.

Week 14 NFL Picks Against the Spread - The Ringer
The Titans’ plan against the Eagles last week was to slow rush Jalen Hurts and not let him scramble. That didn’t work out so well. It was probably the Eagles’ most complete win of the year. They dominated up front on both sides of the ball. The Giants, meanwhile, tied the Commanders in overtime. They are -110 to make the playoffs, according to FanDuel, which translates to roughly a 52 percent chance. Keep an eye on the Giants’ pass rush down the stretch. If they can get Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Dexter Lawrence, and Leonard Williams (who left last week’s game with a neck injury) healthy, that group has a chance to give opponents problems. It’s a divisional game, and I generally like taking Brian Daboll as an underdog. But the Giants’ lack of talent at wide receiver and corner is a huge factor here. I like the Eagles by a touchdown. The pick: Eagles (-6.5)

Eagles locker room survey: Behind-the-scenes staffers making an impact - The Athletic
Fletcher Cox: “(Player resource coordinator/assistant director of player engagement) Miss Kathy Mair. She’s like everybody’s mom. And (senior director of player engagement) Paul Lancaster. Player development and Miss Kathy, she helps the players with a bunch of stuff and just takes the pressure off a bunch of guys, especially the younger guys. I don’t think a lot of people realize how hard her job is. Definitely always thankful for her. Think about it, guys get here and she’s helping them find places to stay, making sure everything is really taken care of. That’s one factor that you don’t have to worry about when you get here. Kathy’s always got your back.”

Bradberry ready for Giants and whatever his future holds - NBCSP
Because of how well he’s playing, Bradberry might just break the bank in the way of a huge contract in free agency this spring. And the Eagles, who already have Slay on a high-priced deal, might not be able to afford to keep him. Bradberry said he thinks his value is “pretty high” right now and that’s hard to argue. “I’m open to staying here,” Bradberry said. “Like I said, at the end of the day, it’s going to be business first. And it has to make sense for me to stay here. And, of course, they have to want me to stay here too.” While Bradberry said the chance to play for a winning team — and the Eagles are obviously a winning team — will certainly factor into his decision, the fact that he said “business first” certainly makes it seem like there will be no discount for his services in 2023. And the Eagles have a ton of pending free agents to worry about after the 2022 season.

How The Philadelphia Eagles And Philly’s Music Scene Joined Forces On A Christmas Album - Stereogum
Hall then recruited an all-star team of Philly musicians to play on A Philly Special Christmas, enlisting friends and connections from his last two decades living and performing in Philadelphia. The amount of pedigree on this list is staggering. Not only does it feature some of Hall’s comrades in the Drugs, including Eliza Hardy Jones and Robbie Bennett, but it’s also a hit list of some of Philly’s finest, including Zach Miller of Dr. Dog, Brandon Beaver from MeWithoutYou, Randy Huth of Pissed Jeans, Jon Wurster, Lady Alma, Marshall Allen of Sun Ra Arkestra, and Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian of the Hooters. From soul to indie rock to jazz, nearly every corner and crevice of the Philadelphia music scene is represented here. And at the center of it all is Charlie Hall, who produced and played drums on the record. “Charlie’s great talent in this world is connecting people,” says Eliza Hardy Jones, the War On Drugs’ multi-instrumentalist and A Philly Special Christmas vocals guru. “Everybody that we got involved in this represents something special about Philadelphia.”

Odell Beckham Jr.’s best move would be to play in 2022, forget about 2023 - PFT
Yes, he has visited the Bills, Giants, and Cowboys. But if he decides to sign a deal for the balance of the season, he may want to consider the Chiefs or the Eagles — teams that are likely to be playing well into January. Teams with enough talented receivers to ensure he’ll get favorable matchups. Teams with coaches smart enough to get him wide open. Teams with quarterbacks who are good enough to get him the ball. This may be the only way to get the kind of contract he wants in 2023. Currently, it doesn’t look like anyone will give him anything that works out to $20 million per year until he shows that he can play. So that’s the situation Beckham faces. He may not like it, but it may be his best option. Play now. Play well. Get paid later.

Cowboys vs Texans injury report (Wednesday): Tyron Smith practices, illness keeps Kelvin Joseph out - Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys look to continue their winning ways this week at home versus the Houston Texans and have major news to start the week. On Wednesday, All-Pro offensive lineman Tyron Smith began his 21-day window to return to the active roster by participating in practice. Smith suffered a hamstring injury over the summer but has recovered and it appears to be on the right track to play this season.

The 5 O’Clock Club: Would you trade for Aaron Rodgers this offseason? - Hogs Haven
Aaron Rodgers is a quarterback in need of receivers and a defense. The Commanders have a team just about fully built, but one that is lacking the most important component — a top tier quarterback. Putting them together might just be the formula for a 2023 championship season. Ron Rivera seems like the perfect head coach for a twitchy, abrasive guy like Rodgers, and it’s easy to imagine how #12 could transform Scott Turner’s offense.

NFL playoff scenarios for Week 14 - SB Nation
The stretch run to the playoffs is on in the NFL. With the calendar flipped to December, we have reached the part of the season where teams can start locking down playoff spots. Some teams just need a victory, while some teams can lock up a playoff spot with a win, along with some help. Here are the playoff scenarios for Week 14 of the NFL season, along with information on each game involved. We can start in the AFC, with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Golics, & the most meaningful divisional game in Week 14 - The SB Nation NFL Show
This week on the SB Nation NFL Show, Rob “Stats” Guerrera, Kyle Posey, and Justis Mosqueda discuss the most meaningful divisional game in Week 14. Stats also sits down the Mike Golic senior and Mike Golic junior to discuss the state of the NFL ahead of Week 14.

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