The Philadelphia Eagles' Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars will feature a banged-up Jalen Hurts at quarterback, but his injury may present an opportunity that he can't pass up.
Hurts randomly popped up on the Eagles' Week 5 injury report with a calf injury. The good news is that he fully participated in practice and didn't have an injury designation. Still, that is the last thing Eagles fans want to see after five players being ruled out and Jonathan Greenard being listed as questionable.
Philly needs Hurts on the field, healthy and playing at his best, with all these injuries. That calf injury might hold him back from doing certain things, but it could also give him a chance to show what everyone in the media has wanted to see: winning the game in the pocket.
Jalen Hurts can prove himself as a passer in Eagles-Jaguars Week 5 game
Hurts entered the season with a ton of pressure to improve as a pocket passer. Many in the media wanted to see how he would do in the pocket, read defenses better, and attack the middle of the field.
So far, Hurts has had mixed results. He has completed 59.6% of his passes for 713 yards and seven touchdowns, with three interceptions.
Pro Football Focus offered insights into Hurts' season, ranking him 23rd out of 33 eligible quarterbacks with an overall grade of 62.8. His passing grade is 58.6, ranking him 24th.
Hurts ranks 19th among quarterbacks in turnover-worthy plays with five and 26th in pressure-to-sack% with 20. PFF also reported an average depth of target of 9.2 yards and an average time to throw of 3.32 seconds.
The calf injury will limit Hurts from doing what he does best: running with the football. It might seem odd, since the Eagles want their quarterback to use his legs more, which makes him a better quarterback. With questions about his passing, this gives Hurts a chance to prove he is a better passer than people think.
This season, Hurts has already shown people that he can be coachable and take notes from his new offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion. Hurts has been throwing the ball more down the middle and pushing the ball downfield more often.
It's going to be a bit of a challege for Hurts, though, with DeVonta Smith and Hollywood Brown out for the game with injuries and Dontayvion Wicks dealing with a new injury himself. The good news is that Hurts has Dallas Goedert back on the field after missing the last two games.
Read more: Jake Majors could go from practice squad unknown to Eagles savior in Week 5
Hurts has a real chance to silence all the critics against a very good Jaguars defense and show that he is more than just an athletic quarterback. If he is able to zip the ball and carry this banged-up offense when he himself is not 100%, Hurts might be able to gain the respect of everyone in the NFL and get this season back on track.
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