Jalen Hurts is an unorthodox QB. He’s definitely not the prototypical modern passer that NFL teams covet. But he should still be considered elite.

Hurts has a unique skill set that has greatly contributed to the Eagles’ success—ultimately culminating in a huge victory in Super Bowl 59 over the vaunted Kansas City Chiefs. Upon beating the Chiefs, Hurts was named Super Bowl MVP, the 6th youngest QB in NFL history to win the award.

 

Hurts Proved Me Wrong

Many people have doubted Hurts, myself included. In fact, a few hours after the Eagles drafted Hurts in 2020, I was on the WalterFootball podcast totally ripping the Eagles for selecting Hurts. But as an Eagles fan, I’ve never been more happy to be proven wrong.

When you examine Hurts’ résumé, you quickly realize that he has accomplished several things that only a handful of QBs in NFL history have accomplished. Hurts may not be able to make all the throws, he certainly still has room to grow and he doesn’t always look the part, but where he lacks he more than makes up for in other elements of the game.

Turns out, Jalen Hurts is very good.

 

What Can Jalen Hurts Do?

Hurts does not have the accuracy of Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert. He doesn’t have the arm strength of Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson (not even close). But here’s where he shines:

• Hurts is very accurate on certain throws, especially the deep ball. That’s because, as Hall-of-Fame QB Kurt Warner has said, Hurts is an “elite thrower” of the football. What Warner meant was, Hurts’ passes are easy for receivers to track and catch. Sometimes, that’s something the stronger-armed QBs tend to struggle with.

Hall-of-Fame QB John Elway has talked about how the over use of his throwing power was one of his biggest problems early in his playing career. Having great arm strength is awesome, but throwing the ball in a manner that make it easy for receivers to track and haul-in is more important—and Hurts is great at that.

Of course, as I’ve already alluded to, Hurts isn’t consistently accurate on every type of throw. There’s definitely still room for growth.

• Hurts has been especially savvy against man-to-man coverage. He’s been especially great at recognizing man coverage, pre-snap, and quickly finding the best matchup. As Brian Baldinger has demonstrated, Hurts did this perfectly on the first big play in the Super Bowl, a pass to Jahan Dotson down the sideline.

Of course, NFL teams know this, so they’ve attempted to confuse Hurts. Teams have sought to “show” zone coverage, pre-snap, and then shift into man coverage after the ball is snapped—hoping to scare Hurts away from his first (more favorable) read early in his progressions.

But Hurts has shown the ability to recognize this. In fact, Hurts did this beautifully in the Super Bowl on the 46-yard TD pass that, in essence, sealed the game. This is an area of quarterbacking where even Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have occasionally struggled; and this is something that QBs like Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, and Justin Herbert have consistently struggled with.

• Hurts rarely turns the ball over. He’s disciplined and he rarely makes the big dumb throw that could cost his team the game. Can the same be said about most QBs?

• Hurts is a great and savvy dual-threat QB. He consistently uses his legs to move the chains. He’s not as dynamic as Jackson and Allen, but he’s consistently better at knowing when to run; he’s great at reading the defense and finding the running lanes that will lead to first downs. When it comes down to finding the right running lanes, Mahomes is probably the best at it in the NFL at current time, but Hurts is a close second. Baldinger has helped us see that he did this beautifully in the Super Bowl, rushing for more than 70 yards against the Chiefs.

• Hurts is a big reason for the Tush-Push. Hurts squats 600+ lbs., making him the perfect QB the run the Eagles’ signature tush-push. The offensive line is a big part of it, obviously, but it would not work nearly as well with most other QBs, just ask Bills fans (the Bills were 0-4 against the Chiefs doing the Tush-Push in the AFC title game).

• Hurts is a great leader. In addition to what Hurts does on the field, it’s his off-the-field attributes that most of us have grossly underrated. He never gets rattled. He’s poised. The pressure of the moment never seems to get to him—his best performances have been in the biggest games. The same cannot be said of all of the other current top 10 QBs.

Hurts challenges and inspires his teammates—and they respond to him. He truly is a “leader of men” in the locker room. And guess what, that does indeed actually matter!

 

17 Facts & Stats to Consider

It’s time to admit, Jalen Hurts is elite. Here’s some impressive facts and stats that prove it:

• The only QBs to ever lead their team to the Super Bowl twice before age 27: Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs thus far to beat Patrick Mahomes in the postseason: Tom Brady, Joe Borrow, and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs in NFL history whose teams scored 35+ points in two separate Super Bowls: Joe Montana and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs to win 6 or more postseason games before age 27: Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Russ Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs to have a passer-rating of 100+ in two separate Super Bowls before age 27: Russell Wilson and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs to complete more than 70% of their passes in two separate Super Bowls: Troy Aikman, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs to ever have more rushing yards than any other player (on either team) in a Super Bowl: Steve Young and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs in last 50 years to lose their first Super Bowl appearance and then later win a Super Bowl: John Elway and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs to have both a rushing TD and a passing TD in two separate Super Bowls: John Elway and Jalen Hurts.

• The only QBs to throw less than 7 incompletions per game in the postseason in-route to winning the Super Bowl: Bob Griese, Joe Montana, and Jalen Hurts.

• Heading into Super Bowl 59, Jalen Hurts had gone 7 straight postseason games with at least 20 pass attempts and no interceptions, the longest such streak in NFL history. (For reference: Mahomes’ longest such streak was 6 straight postseason games, the 2nd longest such streak in NFL history).

• Hurts is just the 8th NFL player to ever rush for 70+ yards in two separate Super Bowls, and he’s the first QB to ever do it.

• Hurts’ collective passer-rating in his Super Bowl appearances is now 109.4. The only QBs with a higher collective rating (across 2+ Super Bowls): Joe Montana, Jim Plunkett, Russell Wilson, Terry Bradshaw, and Troy Aikman.

• Hurts’ career regular season passer-rating is 93.5. But in his two Super Bowls, it’s 109.4. Only five QBs in NFL history have elevated their passing in their Super Bowl appearances more than Hurts has: Bart Starr, Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and Jim Plunkett. Bottom Line: As stated earlier, Hurts is at his best in the biggest moments.

• Over the last 50 years, there’s been 50 QBs drafted in the 2nd round. Only three have started and won a Super Bowl: Brett Favre, Drew Brees, and Jalen Hurts. Hurts is the only one who actually did it with the team that drafted him.

• The only QBs to ever receive a grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) above 92 in a Super Bowl: Nick Foles (92.3 in SB52) and Jalen Hurts (92.2 in SB57).

• Hurts is the only QB to ever get a PFF grade of 86 or higher in two separate Super Bowls. (For reference: Tom Brady played in 10 Super Bowls and his best PFF grade ever was 82.7 in SB39; so, according to PFF, Hurts has played better in his two Super Bowl appearances than Brady ever did in any of his 10 appearances).

 

Conclusion

I’m not saying Hurts is better than the Hall-of-Fame players mentioned herein. I’m simply pointing out that his name can now be mentioned alongside some of the best QBs in NFL history. That’s a big deal.

Hurts is consistently ranked below his contemporaries. Even after winning the Super Bowl, it still seems like many NFL fans and observers view him as being a mediocre QB, but the body of work shows how absurd that is. Jalen Hurts is unorthodox, but he’s elite.

 

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Featured image courtesy of Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC.

Data sources for this article: footballperspective.com, pro-football-reference.com, and pff.com.