Overblown Eagles theories ahead of Week 2 home-opener versus Vikings
Jalen Hurts runs around much too often.
Let’s give Tim McManus a tip of the cap for taking the time to pull the numbers, but give this one a look and let this sink in for a second.
A closer look at Jalen Hurts' bruising, but successful, afternoon in Detroit:
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) September 12, 2022
-- He faced 15 blitzes, 2nd most in Week 1 behind Patrick Mahomes (21).
-- He absorbed 20 QB contacts, most in the league.
-- Hurts was hit on 35% of his dropbacks. League average was 21%.
15 blitzes on 42 dropbacks is a lot. Last season, there are times when Jalen Hurts abandoned the pocket too early. We can acknowledge that, but much of what he did in Week 1 demonstrated a great job of improvising to escape Detroit’s rush.
The Eagles are home to the best offensive line in the NFL, but they struggled. We know that as well. These numbers probably aren’t something we’ll see consistently as many of the Eagles’ opponents in 2022 won’t be able to generate the pressure that Detroit did.
There were a few misfires and a few batted balls at the line, but make no mistake about it. Though a weekly Jalen Hurts beatdown isn’t what the doctor ordered, the Birds don’t win this game if he’s a stationary target. He’s developing. That’s obvious. He’ll continue to make some good things happen with his arm and his legs as the regular season wears on, but for the most part, he was brilliant on Sunday.
Fletcher Cox still has some juice left.
Admittedly, there are times when it feels as though we spend too much time discussing what Fletcher Cox is or isn’t doing. We won’t apologize for that. He makes a lot of money. He’s a team captain. To whom much is given. Much is required.
Fletch came up with one-half sack in Week 1, the only sack by the Eagles’ defense on the afternoon. It was huge. It came at a key moment, but we also can’t ignore what happened.
A bobbled snap gave Number 91 extra time to get to Jared Goff. It also must be mentioned that Cox spent most of his day battling a backup right guard, and he wound up with two tackles. Let’s not assume this is the Fletcher Cox revenge tour we’ve been waiting on.
McManus also did our homework for us by reporting that the defensive success rate was 64.3% with Jordan Davis on the field as opposed to the 30.8% success rate we saw with him on the sideline. We may need to spend more time discussing ways to add to the 22 snaps the rookie saw in his debut.