Is Eagles QB Jalen Hurts' playing style sustainable? - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — One of the most violent hits in Sunday's opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots came at the expense of quarterback Jalen Hurts.

With a little over three minutes remaining and the Eagles holding a 25-20 lead, offensive coordinator Brian Johnson dialed up a QB draw on first-and-10. Hurts found a crease, rumbled up the left seam and lowered his shoulder as he approached oncoming traffic. Safety Jabrill Peppers was flying downhill and got even lower. The hit stopped Hurts in his tracks and sent him airborne, jarring the ball loose. New England recovered, and for a moment, both the outcome of the game and Hurts' health were put into question.

The Eagles held on to win, and Hurts, who rushed nine times for 37 yards, said afterward that he avoided any real damage despite absorbing 15 hits — tied for fourth most among quarterbacks in Week 1.

«I'm ready for Thursday,» Hurst said as he prepared for the Eagles' showdown with the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) for their 2023 home opener.

Sunday's game was largely par for the course. Over the past two seasons, Hurts has rushed 304 times — a league high among quarterbacks and 59 more times than No. 2 on the list, Josh Allen, who has appeared in three more games over that span. The Eagles have called 173 designed rushes for him, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, which is also tops in the league (Lamar Jackson is second with 148). Predictably, Hurts has also been hit at a high rate: His 375 quarterback contacts the past two years is second to only Allen (379).

Coach Nick Sirianni made it clear he had no plans to drastically change how he deploys Hurts shortly after his quarterback signed a