Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts poured water on recent reports that the team had been pressing and were “miserable” despite their 11-4 record. Winning cures all problems. Especially when you are a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. After ending their three-game losing streak Monday afternoon against the New York Giants in unconvincing fashion, several players seemed frustrated despite the 33-25 win over their NFC East rivals.
As reported by our own Ed Kracz, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Jalen Hurts were seen in deep conversation following the win. Later, Kracz reported that center Jason Kelce and Hurts late had a long conversation that ended up running into the quarterback’s time with the media.
This all comes after postgame videos showed head coach Nick Sirianni getting into arguments with and linebacker Haason Reddick and linebackers coach D.J. Eliot near the end of Philadelphia’s win. Sirianni spoke Tuesday and said that he needed to “be better in those scenarios when there are some high-pressure areas,” when asked about him being too tense on the sideline. On Wednesday, Philadelphia’s quarterback poured cold water on all the heat that has surrounded the franchise in recent weeks.
“We play this game to win,” Hurts said. “Winning is the only thing that matters. Of course, it does something to you. I hope it does. If not, like Coach (Jeff) Stout(land) says, you might want to get your saliva checked.” The last few weeks haven’t been the kindest to Hurts or his team in general. Despite recording over 4,000 total yards of offense and 35 total touchdowns, Philadelphia’s signal-caller has set a new career high in turnovers (18) while struggling with his overall completion percentage (has not completed over 65 percent of his passes in four of his last five games).
During this stretch, calls about Hurts’ leadership have come into question with reports inside the locker room saying that the former second-round pick needed to “open himself up a little more in the locker room.” Other reports called the Eagles “the most miserable 10-1 team ever” earlier in the year citing the team’s frustration over not having played to the standard they have set during the Sirianni-Hurts era.
Even with the recent uneven play, the Eagles have enjoyed an 11-4 record in 2023 with their quarterback as a major piece to their puzzle. With all the anonymous sources and on-field frustrations shown in recent weeks, it was Hurts on Wednesday making sure everyone is aware that the focus has not changed for the organization. “People don’t know what they don’t know. In terms of the constant pursuit of excellence, it takes all 11. It takes great communication, great leadership.”
Despite their inconsistent play on the field, the Eagles are a victory and Dallas Cowboy loss on Saturday away from winning the NFC East for the second consecutive season – the first team the division would have a repeat winner since the Andy Reid-led Eagles in 2003-2004.
With all the drama that has happened in recent weeks though, some analysts and fans have wondered if the team is pressing this late in the year to try and repeat as NFC Champions. In regards to the quarterback though, Hurts is just focused on winning against a familiar opponent in Jonathan Gannon and his Arizona Cardinals.
