With 5th straight playoff season, Jalen Hurts makes more NFL history

Jalen Hurts has followed the worst game of his career with two of the best.

Should that surprise anybody?

Since that four-interception, five-turnover disaster against the Chargers in Inglewood two weeks ago, Hurts has thrown five touchdowns and no interceptions, completed 73 percent of his passes and rushed for 79 yards in wins over the Raiders and Commanders.

He’s only the seventh quarterback in NFL history with five TDs, no INTs, 73 percent accuracy and at least 75 rushing yards in a two-game span, joining one-time Eagle Jeff Garcia in 2003, Daunte Culpepper in 2005, Deshaun Watson in 2019, Lamar Jackson three times and then Drake Maye and Josh Allen earlier this year.

And he’s the first to play that well following a four-interception game.

With their 29-18 win over the Commanders Saturday in Landover, the Eagles as you know became the first team since the 2001 through 2004 Eagles to win the NFC East in back-to-back years.

It’s something Hurts takes great pride in.

“Great accomplishment today,” he said. “Kind of reminds me of when I was in high school. We hadn’t been in the playoffs in 20 years, and I was able to do that with my teammates in high school, for my pops (coach Averion Hurts), and it was a big feat.

“So I think right now, given all the success and all the competitive football that is going on in this division over the last 20 plus years, to be able to win it back-to-back is a huge accomplishment. It’s the first time for everything and it’s something that we can just check off the box as we achieve for more.”

Hurts has had bad games before, and he always bounces back, and that’s why nobody in the NovaCare Complex was too worried after the loss to the Chargers.

You can’t shake his confidence. It’s hard to imagine anybody who would be less affected by a game that bad. But Hurts is just wired differently. You literally can’t tell watching him after a game whether the Eagles won or lost, whether he played great or lousy.

He just puts his head down, keeps grinding and trusts the process.

Here’s what that’s led to the last two weeks:

Vs. the Raiders: 12-for-15 (80 percent) for 175 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, 39 rushing yards, 154.9 passer rating.

Vs. the Commanders: 22-for-30 (73 percent) for 185 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, 40 rushing yards, 111.1 passer rating.

Even with the Chargers meltdown, Hurts’ numbers for the season look awfully good. He’s completing 66 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns, six interceptions and over 400 rushing yards.

You’ve got to love just how sharp and accurate he’s been, how decisive he’s been, how well he’s seeing the whole field, how he’s moving around the pocket, how he’s running at exactly the right time and how well he’s adjusted to life under center.

With the Eagles’ 29-18 win over the Commanders Saturday, Hurts became only the sixth quarterback in NFL history to reach the postseason in his first five years as a full-time starter. The first five were Otto Graham in the 1940s, Donovan McNabb from 2000 through 2004, Audubon’s Joe Flacco with the Ravens from 2008 through 2012, Russell Wilson with Seattle from 2012 through 2016 and Patrick Mahomes from 2018 through last year.

And Nick Sirianni became the fifth head coach to take his first five teams to the playoffs.

The Eagles are now 10-5 with the NFC East title locked up and games remaining in Buffalo next Sunday and then the Commanders at the Linc. The only other time the Eagles reached the playoffs five straight years was 2001 through 2004 under Andy Reid.

“These times, they’re rare times,” Hurts said. “So something that we all need to soak in and relish in this moment right now. Take it a day at a time as we always have, but keep the main thing the main thing. That’s what we’ve done. for five years since everybody’s collectively been here.

“It’s been my approach since I’ve been in Eagle. And I think as a team, you know, just the caliber of guys that we’ve been able to get with the mentality that where they come from and their backgrounds and defensively, the vibe that they have and that continuity that they have, everything kind of coming together. We just want to continue to improve.”

“There’s always joy found in winning collectively, truly embracing that,” Hurts said. “And when guys put the team first, that’s when things are truly fun. And you think about all the guys that are on board and come into the team, every team changes every year. And not everyone experiences the same things, because they’re not here.

“It always changes. My point is, as a leader, as a quarterback, you want everybody to experience that level of winning, which is a first step for us.”