Jalen Hurts Revives Eagles, Earning Praise, Though not so Much from Doug Pederson

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles had just won a game for the first time since Nov. 1, with Jalen Hurts reviving this dying patient on the operating table with his legs, mostly, but his arm and moxie, too.

The patient’s time of death was ready to be called, with just three victories a couple of weeks before Christmas. Hurts wouldn’t allow the season to die. Making his first career start, the rookie did not shrink in the moment.

Hurts led the Eagles to a 24-21 win on Sunday over a team that has realistic Super Bowl dreams and had the NFL’s top-ranked defense coming into the game.

There is no question this offense looked different, operated in a much more efficient manner, and, hey, whattaya know, Doug Pederson’s play-calling even looked good.

Funny thing is, though, Doug Pederson acted completely indifferent to what Hurts did during the coach’s postgame videoconference.

“I thought overall there were some good things,” said Pederson. “And really, kind of gave us a spark as a team that I was looking for and that we were looking for as a team. This win is not about one guy. This win is about this team and how resilient this team is.”

Pederson is not wrong about that.

The defense battled, with five sacks, two each from Javon Hargrave and Josh Sweat, and they got two turnovers, one of them that rare interception,k which linebacker Duke Riley produced.

But the coach wouldn’t say whether or not Hurts will be his starter next week or if he will return to Carson Wentz.

“I'm going to enjoy this one,” said Pederson. “I'm going to go home and relax and be with my family and enjoy this win and get ready for the week.”

Pederson is tied to Wentz, and his job may rely on rehabilitating him, so he is in just as awkward of a position as Wentz, who, by the way, showed plenty of support on the sidelines and was one of the first people to greet Miles Sanders after his 82-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes to go that made the score 17-0.

Maybe Pederson is even wondering now where his team would be had he turned to Hurts two games sooner.

Still, the coach will go with Hurts next week. No way he can turn back now, not after 106 yards rushing and 167 throwing with a touchdown.

“It felt good, it felt good,” said Hurts. “(It’s) always a great feeling to get a ‘W’. All week we talked about going out there and executing and dominating our box. Coming out at halftime without looking at the scoreboard.

"I’ve said it a lot, just having a standard for play. We got this win, but is it up to our standard of play? No. So that’s why I say we have so much to build on and so much more to work for.”

While Pederson didn’t want to go overboard with praise for Hurts, New Orleans coach Sean Payton did.

“He played exceptionally well,” said Payton. “He hurt us. … I’ll say this - he was impressive just watching him. I thought he played with poise, made some throws, and was smart. He did a good job.”

Even safety Malcolm Jenkins, who you know wanted to come into Philadelphia and stick it to his former employer, mainly Eagles GM Howie Roseman for not keeping him, gave Hurts high marks.

“I think it’s obvious that his ability to run and not only put stress on us as a defense in the run game but also in the pass game,” said Jenkins. “His ability to scramble just adds another element. …They did a great job, obviously giving him opportunities for looks, good runs, the passes, being able to take care of the football, not really putting him in harm’s way, and he executed. Hats off to him.”

Hurts wasn’t sacked once. Wentz had been sacked 50 times.

“He played awesome,” said Sanders, who scored two touchdowns and ran for 115 yards. “The tape shows for itself. He’s so confident and he’s a natural leader. We just needed that and he gave us that spark to start from last week."

The leadership thing kept coming up with each postgame videoconference.

“He knows how to balance certain things,” said rookie WR Jalen Reagor, who had two catches for 46 yards and a 19-yard run. “He knows when to say things and when to get us up. For example, if we are sitting on the bench and we are about to be up with the defense getting off the field, he just knows certain ways and he is a young player.

“For him to be that natural-born guy, it is kind of amazing. I am proud of him and just seeing him do the things he did, it shows he’s special.”

Pederson doesn't seem ready to go there, yet.

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