Jalen Hurts is feeling good coming out of the Eagles’ bye week

Heading into the Eagles bye week, Jalen Hurts said the extra rest couldn’t come at a better time as he was dealing with a lingering knee injury, and now after returning to practice, the quarterback said the time to heal was good for his recovery. He spoke to reporters on Thursday, and talked about the improved offensive efficiency, what he sees from the Kansas City’s defense, and why he doesn’t see Jason Kelce as a celebrity center.

Hurts had some good things to say about Patrick Mahomes, noting he plays for a good team, and has been able to play at a high level consistently and sustain success.

Here’s what else the QB had to say:

On the bye week

Hurts talked about how he utilizes the bye week to do some self-scouting, but to also get his mind and body right, which included extra time for his body to recover from some lingering issues — like his knee. He later acknowledged that he was not wearing a sleeve on his leg at Thursday’s practice, and is trending forward.

The QB said that he feels good about how the team used their bye week, and they coming in refreshed for the second half of the season.

On the offensive efficiency

Hurts was asked if the improved efficiency the past few weeks, compared to the beginning of the season, was due to being more familiar working with Brian Johnson as an OC.

“It’s a lot to do with that. You have to have a feel, that’s a real thing. And obviously, the standard that we have for ourselves internally is very high, and that’s a thing of constant communication, everybody being on the same page, and everyone being eager to grow. And, I think that’s always the attitude that I try to have, whether it be with a player, a coach, or whoever it is, and then obviously, you want that our of your coaches, your teammates, as well.”

He went on to reiterate that it’s all about communication and having those conversations that allows everyone to get better.

On the Chiefs’ defense

“They’re a really good team.”

Hurts explained that they’ve got good players up front and on the backend, they make plays on the ball, and they’re really disruptive and well-coached. He noted that the Eagles will need all three phases to find a way to execute and play good football against a good team.

The quarterback admitted that there’s always something to learn from past tape, including the Super Bowl loss earlier this week. They study to tape from this season, too, but their past experience is included in their preparation.

“They always put up a good challenge on tape. They fly to the ball, they’ve got a great d-line, they have a great secondary playing at a very high level. The linebackers, no matter who’s in there, they fly to the ball. So, it’s a big challenge for us.”

On Jason Kelce

Hurts said that he doesn’t really see Kelce as a celebrity, despite all the things he’s done, and that the respect he has for him is as a teammate and person.

“I look at him as my guy, Jason Kelce. I know he’s a man of many abilities and many characters, but he’s a guy that this city loves, that this team loves.

I know one things for sure, anything that he does and he gets himself into, gets his foot in, he always gives it 110 percent, and so that’s a credit to him and what he’s built for himself.”