What we learned from Eagles-Giants: Jalen Hurts offers a lesson on patience for us all

The Eagles overcame a sluggish, sloppy offensive start and cruised past the woeful New York Giants, 34-10, on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Win, lose, or draw, here’s what we learned:

Playing quarterback in the NFL is difficult. Late in the second quarter, Dallas Goedert was wide open after the Giants busted a coverage and Jalen Hurts didn’t see the tight end. Many fans at the Linc saw it. Everyone who watched at home saw it after the broadcast replay. “Just missed the read,” FOX analyst Jonathan Vilma said. I saw it, as well, and pointed it out on Twitter. Hurts instead threw short of the goal line to the crossing Quez Watkins and the Eagles had to settle for a short field goal.

The criticism was instant on social media. Hurts was already having a rough first half and some reactive fans even called for his benching. Extreme behavior aside, questioning the quarterback’s decision-making on the play was fair, although there is always a danger in instant analysis, especially as it relates to that position. Only Hurts knows what he saw or what he was instructed to do based on the Giants’ coverage. That is why reporters ask questions after games. Sometimes the answers aren’t provided immediately. It may take a day or two after film review. Even then players and coaches may be reluctant to give much detail. Sometimes it’s for competitive reasons, and sometimes they just don’t want to have to explain themselves.

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But Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Hurts, to their credit, offered expansive answers on the supposed Goedert miss. The former wasn’t asked specifically about the play. His team won, after all, and most of the questions at his news conference focused on the positive elements of the day. But Hurts and the offense struggled in the first half and Sirianni was asked about his disparate performance. He acknowledged that there were throws the quarterback would want back, but he also said that he “went to the right place with the ball.” Prepped by Eagles public relations that he might be asked about the Goedert play, Sirianni said that he wasn’t critical of Hurts because he made the correct pre-snap read.

“Our alert was to Dallas versus a certain coverage,” Sirianni said. “It wasn’t that coverage, so now we read shallow to angle. That’s what he read, so his eyes aren’t there, so I’m not one bit concerned.”

Hurts took the podium later, and on the last question, he was asked, “Nick exonerated you on the pass in which Dallas got open on the busted coverage. How did you see it?” He paused, and could have easily said, “I missed him, my bad,” or he could have been dismissive and simply not answered. But Hurts took advantage of the opportunity to explain his decision-making, and in the process, divulged the many factors that go into executing any given pass. It was also a reminder to armchair quarterbacks, including this one, that not every play is as it seems upon first glance, or repeated viewings, even those shown on the coach’s film.

Did Hurts play well on Sunday, especially in the first half? According to his coach and the quarterback himself, he did not. But Sirianni accredited a Giants defense that had already given the Eagles problems earlier this month. He also pointed blame at others on offense and at the coaching staff.

Hurts performed better in the second half, as has been the case this season. After completing just 7 of 17 passes for 94 yards, he went 10 of 12 for 105 yards and two touchdowns after the break. His numbers overall are disparate but not profound enough to suggest he is a significantly different quarterback in the last 30 minutes vs. the first. But they do suggest that Hurts improves with time.

Does that mean he will become a better quarterback in the seasons to come? Maybe. But Hurts has shown progress this season, and the Goedert miss, while not the perfect example, spoke to his development. He did as taught. The Hurts of earlier in the season might have gone off script much sooner. Was he a touch late to Watkins? It appeared so. Could he have looked off his receiver, avoided throwing short of the goal line, and realized that the Giants had far too many defenders for receivers? Possibly.

Sirianni has coached Hurts hard. He publicly gave him a failing grade after the Giants loss and lambasted him on the sideline after his fumble against Washington. So any suggestion that he’s coddling his quarterback doesn’t pass the smell test. But he understands that Hurts is still a work in progress. He just entered his second season, in terms of starts, with his 18th on Sunday.

Quarterbacks miss throws and reads all the time, even the best of them. Hurts doesn’t yet have that kind of resume to offset the occasional error. But the 23-year-old should be given the benefit of the doubt as he matures, and less so, over time. And the same thinking should apply to the rash second-guessing that often comes without full knowledge.

The Eagles control their own playoff destiny. The 8-7 Eagles currently hold the seventh and last playoff spot as the third NFC wild card. They win their final two games against Washington and Dallas and they’re automatically into the postseason. But they can clinch a spot next weekend if they win, the Saints lose to the Panthers, and the Vikings lose to the Packers. At FiveThirtyEight.com, the Eagles currently have a 60% chance of making the playoffs and that number increases to 68% if New Orleans falls to the Dolphins Monday night, or decreases to 52% with a win.

The Cowboys have clinched the NFC East, so the Eagles can’t finish any higher than the fifth seed. If they don’t clinch next week, they still could be facing a resting Dallas if they have no shot at the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

The Eagles have benefited against lesser competition in the second half of the season. They’ve drawn suspect starting quarterbacks and several backups. But they have also won most of those games in convincing fashion. There’s something to be said for beating the teams you’re supposed to beat, and just to add credence to the “Any Given Sunday” adage, they had their slippage at MetLife three games ago.

A great team, and even an average team, might have pounced on the Eagles’ early mistakes on Sunday. Sirianni will definitely deliver that message to his team this week. Washington might be on fumes after the Cowboys embarrassed them. But the Eagles haven’t claimed anything yet.

The Eagles have one of the NFLs top-ranked defenses. Yeah, that’s right. In terms of yards allowed per game and per play, Jonathan Gannon’s unit is fifth and third, respectively. Numbers can lie, of course. The Eagles probably don’t even believe that they have a top-five unit. The Jake Fromms and Mike Glennons of the NFL, not to mention the other questionable quarterbacks the Eagles have faced over the last eight games, can compensate for adequate scheme and personnel. The same applies to every team, but of the teams still in the playoff hunt, the Eagles and 7-8 Falcons are the only teams without victories over an opponent with a winning record.

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In terms of numbers, I prefer Football Outsiders’ defense-adjusted value over average metric. The Eagles’ defense ranks 15th in the NFL. That sounds more in line with how Gannon’s group has played this season. He deserves recognition for tightening the screws on his scheme over the last two months. Some of the blowback he’s received has been unwarranted and could be tied to local distaste for his style of defense.

But defensive coordinators are increasingly utilizing Cover-2-heavy schemes to account for explosive passing offenses. Gannon didn’t exactly counter those units, or adjust when top passers picked his coverages apart. The jury is still very much out on his long-term effectiveness as a defensive play-caller.

But Philadelphia might not have to worry about Gannon much longer. He’s likely to receive head-coaching interest this offseason based upon NFL Network reports. There was already buzz last offseason. Some of that may be agent-generated or may exist within only the league’s media vacuum. But Gannon strikes me as the kind of coordinator who could draw interest as a head coach. He’s smart, polished and isn’t the kind of conservative-minded defensive coach that often turns off forward-thinking owners.

DeVonta Smith makes receiving look easy. The rookie receiver has flown under the radar in recent weeks. Smith was targeted just 13 times in the three previous games and caught seven passes for 77 yards and no touchdowns. It’s not like he hasn’t been open or dropped passes, though. He just hasn’t gotten the opportunities for various reasons.

It seemed almost negligent in the first Giants game. But the Eagles came out in their first drive Sunday and made sure Smith was targeted. The offense was a hot mess for most of the first half, but it kicked into gear when Hurts hooked up with Smith for a 46-yard pass late in the second quarter. The receiver got behind cornerback James Bradberry, but Hurts’ throw was short. No harm. Smith dialed back and high-pointed the ball.

But his best grab of the day came in the third quarter on third down at the New York 4-yard line. He ran a quick out and dragged his feet just inbounds. The nearby officials signaled touchdown, but there was some confusion about the ruling. It went to replay and Smith’s catch was not overturned. He’s already mastered the art of toe-tapping. Watkins has had a few himself, as well, this season. He bailed Hurts out on another short-armed throw and won a jump ball for 39 yards, which helped set up the Smith score.

Watkins, who typically handles the slot, has increasingly lined up outside at the expense of Jalen Reagor. The Eagles, though, may want to invest in some size on the flanks. Reagor had another up-and-down day. He ran backwards on his first fielded punt and lost yardage, but later ripped off a 39-yard return. Officials may have missed him signaling for a fair catch. As a receiver, Reagor dropped a bubble screen, but he pulled in a 13-yarder from Hurts on a precise sideline route and had a better-executed screen brought back by penalty.

Extra point. Several of the Eagles’ less heralded defensive players made key plays against the Giants. Safety Rodney McLeod was gift-wrapped an interception by Fromm early in the second half, but his deflected pass that Alex Singleton intercepted and returned for a touchdown was more impressive. Rookie defensive tackle Milton Williams notched a sack and two quarterback hits. Linebacker Genard Avery, who has played 300-plus snaps without much distinction, provided maybe the turning point of the game when he pressured Fromm into his first pick.