Eagles News: Jalen Hurts hasn’t been the player we’ve expected

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Roob’s Observations: Eagles improve to 2-0 after taking down Vikings in home opener - NBCSP
6. I still don’t think Jalen Hurts looks quite right, and those two big throws to DeVonta Smith sure looked like the Jalen of old – 54 yards (though a little underthrown) and then 63 for a TD – but other than that he threw 21 times for 76 yards, was sacked four times for 22 yards, averaged under 3.3 yards per carry (not counting the two one-yard TDs) and for the second week just never got into any sort of rhythm. Other than the two deep balls to Smith, the passing game generated 54 net passing yards. To get to 2-0 with Hurts looking pedestrian is impressive. But for this team to accomplish anything this year, it’s no secret Hurts has to be special and so far he hasn’t. Hurts hasn’t been awful. But he hasn’t been the Jalen Hurts we’ve all expected this year, and It’s up to Nick Sirianni, Brian Johnson, Alex Tanney and Hurts himself to figure out why the consistency is missing and how to get it back.

2023 NFL season, Week 2: What We Learned from Eagles’ win over Vikings on Thursday night - NFL.com
Jalen Hurts better, but there’s room for improvement. Hurts’ so-so performance in Week 1 wasn’t a major concern, but how would he look four days later? Up and down. It was a slow start for Hurts, who hit DeVonta Smith on a 54-yard pass on the fifth play, but it was underthrown and could have been a TD. Later, Hurts appeared confused by the Vikings’ faking pressure and dropping into a zone, as he telegraphed his pick to backup safety Theo Jackson. The Eagles eventually found some rhythm throwing the ball, and Hurts only had five incompletions on 23 attempts. But the lack of downfield production — even with the Smith catch — has been notable, especially when it comes to targeting A.J. Brown. Some of this is on the offensive line, as the Eagles allowed four sacks. But there also were just missed connections. Hurts hit Brown for a would-be touchdown early in the fourth, but it was called back by a penalty. It also looked like the referees missed a potential pass interference when Hurts went back to Brown the next play for what could have been a score. But so far, all of Brown’s receptions this season have been nine air yards or fewer, per Next Gen Stats, so he and Hurts will have to figure out how to get more downfield connections cooking.

Eagles vs. Vikings: The good, the bad, and the ugly - BGN
Hurts’ inability to throw the ball in the first half. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 84 yards with an interception—and of the 84 yards, 54 came on Hurts’ first-quarter completion to Smith, leaving him 30 yards on the other nine completions.

Instant Reaction Show - Week 2: Eagles defeat Vikings 34-28 - BGN Radio
Shane Haff, Raichele Privette and Victor Williams share their thoughts on the Eagles win over the Vikings on Thursday.

Philadelphia Eagles 34, Minnesota Vikings 28: Turnovers the story again - Daily Norseman
It was difficult to know what to expect from the Minnesota Vikings when they traveled to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, but we didn’t expect them to give away a game. But, that’s exactly what they did. The Vikings had their opportunities, but four turnovers, including a crucial one at the end of the first half, doomed them to defeat in a 34-28 loss to the Eagles on Thursday Night Football.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Philadelphia Eagles 34, Minnesota Vikings 28 - PFF
Defensive spotlight: Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat was a menace for an ill-equipped Vikings offensive line and produced one sack, three hits and two hurries across his 30 pass-rush snaps, according to PFF’s initial review.

Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Vikings game - PhillyVoice
7) The ‘Not the Same, Yet’ Award : The Eagles’ passing offense. The Eagles passing game has not looked crisp the first two games of the season, and part of the reason why is that they have faced exotic defensive schemes designed to confuse Jalen Hurts and take away big plays down the field. “Offensively, I’m happy that we did better this week,” said Jason Kelce. “We adjusted better in-game, and I think that we’re going to continue to grow. Teams are going to keep doing this. They’re going to keep throwing out chaotic things and trying to eliminate the big play. We were one of the most explosive offenses in the league last year. We’ll have to find ways. This is going to be the name of the game this season. We’re not going to see vanilla Cover-1. It’s just not going to happen. It’s going to be chaos.”

Spadaro: 10 takeaways from a thrilling Thursday night victory over the Vikings - PE.com
7. You don’t hear Smith’s name come up when people talk about the “fastest” wide receivers in the game, but he showed go-the-distance speed with two “go” routes on which he ran past the defensive backs. Smooth, gliding, and just fast. And you know that if the ball is near, Smith is going to make the catch. That, combined with his incredible body control, makes him an elite player in this league. Smith had 4 receptions for 131 yards, averaging 32.8 yards per catch.

What Eagles’ Jalen Hurts said about A.J. Brown’s tantrum: Is a WR rivalry brewing?- NJ.com
“Yeah, I think everybody wants to make plays, and everybody wants to contribute,” Hurts told reporters. “I have no worry about him. He is a great player, great teammate, great friend. We’ll do anything and everything with winning in mind.” After finishing with a team-high seven receptions for 79 yards in the 25-20 win over the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Week 1, Brown finished with four catches for 29 yards on six targets against the Vikings. Sirianni also declined to share the specifics of the incident: “The conversations we have on the field are going to be private, and the conversations we have in our locker room are going to be private,” he said.

D’Andre Swift rushes for career-high 175 yards in Eagles’ win, sparks memories of St. Joe’s Prep-La Salle games - PHLY
There’s a segment of Eagles fans who should not be surprised by the way D’Andre Swift played in Thursday’s 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings because they’ve seen it before. For those who followed Swift as a Philadelphia high school sensation at St. Joseph’s Prep, his 28-carry, 175-yard performance against the Vikings looked familiar. It was the best game of his four-year NFL career, with a new high in rushing yards and the second-most carries, and it occurred in the home opener in his hometown. So when Swift was asked the last time he had a game like the one on Thursday, he bypassed two standout performances at Georgia. “Probably high school,” he said. Which game? “Every time we played La Salle,” he said with a laugh.

Sixers Tyrese Maxey, Paul Reed, coach Nick Nurse attend Philadelphia Eagles game - Liberty Ballers
The Philadelphia 76ers are just a few weeks away from beginning training camp in Colorado, but there’s still time to have a little fun in the meantime. New Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has been making the rounds around the fellow City of Brotherly Love teams. He has visited the Philadelphia Phillies to throw out the ceremonial first pitch a few weeks back, and visited the Philadelphia Eagles during their preseason training camp at the end of August. Last night, he took in the Eagles 34-28 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football at Lincoln Financial Field with young star and fan-favorite Tyrese Maxey. The two took in the Birds’ home opener with Sixers’ limited partner David Adelman. Adelman is the developer behind the plans for the franchise’s new proposed arena, 76 Place.

Cowboys challenge against the Jets has radically changed after Week 1 - Blogging The Boys
As Han Solo once said, don’t get cocky. After the Dallas Cowboys administered a severe and embarrassing beating to the New York Giants, it is not hard to look at the New York Jets and think we might just see a reboot of that script. However, team history reminds us that the Cowboys have been stunned by backup quarterbacks and supposedly inferior rosters before. That’s not to say this Sunday’s game is going to be hard to win for them. They just have to be focused and not make multiple mistakes to give the visitors for the home opener a chance. The Buffalo Bills did exactly that, and the Jets come into AT&T Stadium with the same 1-0 record as Dallas as a result. Here are some things we are looking at for the second game of the season.

Giants Matt Peart, Josh Ezeudu ready to fill in for Andrew Thomas if they have to - Big Blue View
If Andrew Thomas is sidelined Sunday due to his hamstring injury, most likely either Matt Peart or Joshua Ezeudu will be at left tackle when the New York Giants face the Arizona Cardinals in a game they need to win to avoid an 0-2 start. Both players said on Thursday they are ready if needed. Technically, backup tackle is Peart’s job. He was the player called upon when the Giants took a laboring Thomas out of Sunday’s game with the Dallas Cowboys. He played only four snaps before leaving with an injury to his right elbow. Peart has been listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday and Thursday.

Commanders vs Broncos Thursday Injury Report: Chase Young returns to practice fully - Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders practiced today as they prepare for a road game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The big news from today’s practice was Chase Young being a full participant for the first time since suffering a stinger/neck injury in the first preseason game in early August. Young reportedly looked good, and there’s now a potential that he could be active this week. Initial reports said Youmg could miss the first two games as he ramped up contact in practice, but now playing on a snap count vs Denver is on the table.

8 Taylor Swift lyrics for her eventual breakup with Travis Kelce - SB Nation
We are now living in a world where Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could actually be an item. It’s the celebrity couple the sports world was missing, and it’s sure to end badly. I don’t mean to be glib, because I love love — but there’s a track record here for both people and it’s not great. Taylor has a tendency to be unlucky in love, and so does Travis. I mean, you don’t get a dating show named after you when you’re having success finding someone on your own.

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