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Inside the numbers on Eagles’ Jalen Hurts: Where he stands among NFL’s best

As he enters his third season as the starting quarterback, here are some things to think about as Hurts and the Eagles try to make another Super Bowl run.

Jalen Hurts’ interception percentage has declined in each of his three seasons. Last year, he threw just six picks in 460 attempts.
Jalen Hurts’ interception percentage has declined in each of his three seasons. Last year, he threw just six picks in 460 attempts.Read moreDavid Maialetti/ Staff Photographer
    by Ed Barkowitz
    Published 

Jalen Hurts doesn’t put up numbers like Joe Burrow, doesn’t run around defenses like Lamar Jackson, and doesn’t throw BBs like Josh Allen. Much of Hurts’ value to the Eagles, in fact, is difficult to ascertain through raw numbers.

He can make feathery throws or pick up yards with his legs when he must, but Hurts’ finest qualities often manifest before the ball is snapped.

“He’s a guy that is going to be coachable and a guy that’s going to coach up other people,” Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith said on Darius Slay’s podcast in the spring. “If they aren’t at the right place at the right time, he’s going to let you know. He knows how to go about it. He’s not one of those guys that’s just going to get on you and yell at you. He’s going to help you understand the reason why you are doing it and why you are supposed to be there.”

As he enters his third season as the starting quarterback, here are some things to think about as Hurts and the Eagles take another run up the mountain.

Coming off a Super Bowl loss

How the last 10 quarterbacks fared the year after losing in the Super Bowl:

  1. Joe Burrow, Bengals, 2022 season: He had a terrific year with 35 TD passes, finished fourth in the MVP voting, and brought the Bengals back to the AFC championship game before losing late at Kansas City.

  2. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs, 2021 season: A great year was spoiled when K.C. blew an 18-point lead to visiting Cincinnati in the conference championship game. The Chiefs managed just three points in the second half/overtime.

  3. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers, 2020 season: A disaster. Garoppolo was limited by an ankle injury to just six games and San Francisco went 6-10.

  4. Jared Goff, Rams, 2019 season: He received a huge contract extension ($110 million guaranteed) despite the Rams getting embarrassed by New England in the Super Bowl. Goff had a mediocre 2019, when a couple of late losses kept L.A. out of the playoffs.

  5. Tom Brady, Patriots, 2018 season: He’s the only player on this list to win the Super Bowl the year after he lost it. Brady beat the Chiefs in the AFC championship game with a 75-yard TD drive in overtime, and then coasted in the Super Bowl as the Patriots defense smothered the Rams.

  6. Matt Ryan, Falcons, 2017 season: Ryan’s TD passes dropped from 38 in 2016 (when he was league MVP) to just 20 in 2017. Atlanta lost to the Eagles in the divisional round. The Falcons, shut out in the second half, were turned away at the goal line in the final seconds when Ryan’s pass to Julio Jones was well defended by Jalen Mills.

» READ MORE: Eagles beat Falcons: A look inside that final play

  1. Cam Newton, Panthers, 2016 season: Similar to Ryan, Newton declined severely from his MVP season, when Carolina went 15-1. The Panthers followed it by going 6-10 and Newton’s QB rating dropped from 99.4 to 75.8.

  2. Russell Wilson, Seahawks, 2015 season: Not only did he have to rebound from a loss in the ultimate game, but Wilson threw the most notorious interception in Super Bowl history to seal his team’s fate. But after a slow start, Seattle closed 8-2 and returned to the playoffs. Wilson became the first Seahawks QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a season and his 34 TD passes were a then-career high.

  3. Peyton Manning, Broncos, 2014 season: Manning came off a 43-8 throttling by Seattle in the Supe to lead the Broncos to a division title and a first-round bye. But Manning, who had 39 TD passes in the regular season, was bottled up by the visiting Colts in a divisional round loss. Denver scored a touchdown five minutes into the game but never got back into the end zone.

  4. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers, 2013 season: This was Kaepernick’s first full season as a starter and he acquitted himself well by nearly leading the 49ers back to the Super Bowl. But a late interception in the end zone allowed Seattle to hold on for a 23-17 win in the NFC championship game. Kaepernick’s career — and life — would change three years later when he ignited a social revolution by kneeling during the national anthem of a preseason game.

Class of 2020

The top five quarterbacks drafted in 2020 and how far they’ve gotten in the playoffs:

Joe Burrow, first overall: He has led the Bengals to two conference championships and one Super Bowl appearance.

Tua Tagovailoa, first round, fifth overall: The Dolphins’ only playoff appearance during his tenure was last season, when they lost to Buffalo in the wild-card round. Tagovailoa was in concussion protocol and missed the game.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts Inc. and the search for authenticity: How the Eagles QB and businessman is staying true to himself

Justin Herbert, first round, sixth overall: His only playoff berth was last season’s epic collapse to Jacksonville when the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead. The Chargers managed three points in the second half. One of the biggest gags in playoff history.

Jordan Love, first round, 26th overall: Love has started just one game since being drafted, but he was given the keys to the franchise after the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers to the Jets.

Jalen Hurts, second round, 53rd overall: He led the Eagles to the postseason in each of his two full seasons as starter, including last season, when the Birds lost to Kansas City in the Super Bowl.

Bird Supe

Age of the starting quarterbacks the year after leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl. The team’s win-loss record the following season is in parentheses:

  1. Jalen Hurts, 25 (TBD)

  2. Nick Foles, 29 (9-7)

  3. Donovan McNabb, 29 (6-10)

  4. Ron Jaworski, 30 (10-6)

» READ MORE: Ranking the Eagles’ position groups based on strength ahead of the season opener

Interception rate

Jalen Hurts’ interception percentage has declined in each of his three seasons. Last year, he threw just six picks in 460 attempts, which was among the leaders at the QB position. The list:

  1. Daniel Jones, 5 interceptions, 472 attempts, 1.1%

  2. Jared Goff, 7 interceptions, 587 attempts, 1.2%

  3. Tom Brady, 9 interceptions, 733 attempts, 1.2%

  4. Jimmy Garoppolo, 4 interceptions, 308 attempts, 1.3%

  5. Jalen Hurts, 6 interceptions, 460 attempts, 1.3%

Notables: Trevor Lawrence (1.4%), Justin Herbert (1.4%), Patrick Mahomes (1.9%), Tua Tagovailoa (2.0%), Joe Burrow (2.0%), Aaron Rodgers (2.2%), Russell Wilson (2.3%), Dak Prescott (3.8%).

Clutch in playoffs: Hurts did not throw an interception in 87 attempts in the postseason. Neither did Mahomes (100 attempts).

On the mark

Jalen Hurts was one of the most accurate passers in 2022. He was seventh in passes that were on target, excluding spikes and throwaways. The leaders:

  1. Daniel Jones, 81.0%

  2. Aaron Rodgers, 80.6%

  3. Joe Burrow, 79.1%

  4. Geno Smith, 78.8%

  5. Andy Dalton, 78.0%

  6. Kyler Murray, 77.9%

  7. Jalen Hurts, 77.8%

  8. Patrick Mahomes, 77.1%

  9. Tom Brady, 77.1%

  10. Tua Tagovailoa, 76.7%

» READ MORE: A position-by-position look at what could be Howie Roseman’s best Eagles roster

Poor throws

Jalen Hurts was in the middle of the pack when it came to poor throws, ranking 12th according to Pro Football Reference. The leaders:

1. Geno Smith, 11.8%

2. Kyler Murray, 11.9%

3. Ryan Tannehill, 12.0%

4. Daniel Jones, 12.2%

5. Andy Dalton, 12.4%

6. Jimmy Garoppolo, 12.7%

7. Joe Burrow, 12.9%

8. Justin Herbert, 12.9%

9. Mac Jones, 13.4%

10. Matt Ryan, 13.5%

11. Jacoby Brissett, 13.7%

12. Jalen Hurts, 14.2%

Notables: Aaron Rodgers, 14.8%, Trevor Lawrence, 15.0%, Patrick Mahomes, 15.4%; Russell Wilson, 15.6%; Tua Tagovailoa, 15.8%; Tom Brady, 16.4%; Josh Allen, 16.6%; Dak Prescott, 17.3%; Lamar Jackson, 18.1%.

Run/pass option

Jalen Hurts had more pass attempts on RPO calls than any other quarterback last season — and it wasn’t even close.

Pass attempts from RPO:

  1. Jalen Hurts, 122

  2. Marcus Mariota, 90

  3. Patrick Mahomes, 86

  4. Lamar Jackson, 72

  5. Tua Tagovailoa, 71

  6. Josh Allen, 62

Passing yards from RPO:

  1. Jalen Hurts, 1,068

  2. Marcus Mariota, 803

  3. Patrick Mahomes, 692

  4. Tua Tagovailoa, 615

  5. Lamar Jackson, 587

  6. Josh Allen, 471

Note: Hurts was fourth in both rushing attempts (21) and rushing yards (88) off the RPO for a respectable 4.2 yards per attempt.

» READ MORE: How much are the Eagles spending on each position (and player)? A visual breakdown.

Hurts so good

Jalen Hurts’ numbers and where he ranked:

Pass attempts: Hurts, 460 (16th). NFL leader: Tom Brady, 733

Completions: Hurts, 306 (13th). NFL leader: Brady, 490

Completion pct.: Hurts, 66.5% (11th). NFL leader: Geno Smith, 69.8%

Yards: Hurts, 3,701 (10th). NFL leader: Patrick Mahomes, 5,250

TD passes: Hurts, 22 (14th). NFL leader: Mahomes, 41

Interceptions: Hurts, 6 (28th). NFL leader: Dak Prescott/Davis Mills, 15

Interception pct.: Hurts, 1.3% (fifth). NFL leader: Daniel Jones, 1.1%

Yards per attempt: Hurts, 8.0 (third). NFL leader: Tua Tagovailoa, 8.9

Yards per game: Hurts, 246.7 (11th). NFL leader: Mahomes, 308.8

Passer rating: 101.5 (fourth). NFL leader: Tagovailoa, 105.5

QB wins: Hurts, 14 (tied for first with Mahomes)

Sources: Inquirer research, Pro-Football-Reference.com