If you're a Philadelphia Eagles fan and you feel like the sky is falling, you're not alone. In less than 48 hours, the Eagles lost both Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens, the former to retirement and the latter to a trade.
Suddenly, the offensive roster that seemed like one of the most talented units in football just a few months ago is on the brink of a complete collapse. Jalen Hurts, four games into one of the worst seasons of his career, is left to pick up the pieces.
As if the last few days weren't already bad enough for Hurts, he now has to face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense built to target his weaknesses in Week 5. He'll have to be at his best if the Eagles are going to have a shot at leaving London with a win.
Jalen Hurts faces undeniable pressure in Eagles' Week 5 matchup with Jaguars
There's no denying Hurts' struggles at this point. He has taken a significant step back this year, drifting into the below-average range. He currently ranks 25th among 33 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per play, 30th in success rate, 28th in completion percentage, and 27th in on-target percentage.
Sure, his receivers have let him down a few times, and the running game has been lackluster, but Hurts deserves his fair share of the blame for the Eagles' offensive issues.
Those issues could be magnified against the Jaguars. Hurts tends to be better against simple man coverage looks, where he can take advantage of the one-on-one opportunities that his best pass catchers get. He currently ranks ninth in EPA per play against man while falling to 27th against zone.
The Jaguars play zone coverage over 75% of the time, and they usually use nickel personnel packages. That leaves Hurts with fewer one-on-one chances to exploit.
To make matters worse, he's missing multiple of his most important supporting pieces. Not only are Jurgens and Johnson gone, but DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley are both expected to miss the game against the Jaguars.
Jacksonville's defense has been one of the best in the league this season. In Week 4, they held Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals to just 17 points.
There is already so much riding on this game for Philadelphia. With a loss, the Eagles would drop to 2-3 and face mounting questions about whether it's time for a complete rebuild. With a win, they keep their hopes of winning the NFC East very much alive.
Read more: 4 winners (and 3 losers) from Eagles' out-of-nowhere Cam Jurgens trade
Hurts will have to be nearly perfect to earn that win..
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