Has Jalen Hurts become underrated?

We're just over a year removed from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts finishing second in MVP voting behind Patrick Mahomes after the 2022 NFL season. At that point, Hurts was widely considered as one of the best -- and most promising -- quarterbacks in the entire league. But, a lot can happen in a year.

Philadelphia's epic collapse last season included some underwhelming play from Hurts, and that has seemingly shifted the entire conversation around the star quarterback. Heading into the 2024 season, Hurts isn't being mentioned as a top-tier QB by pundits or league executives.

Hurts outside of the top 10 in recent QB ranking

In a recent ranking from ESPN of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL as voted on by executives, coaches and scouts, Hurts finished outside of the top 10, behind guys like Jared Goff and Dak Prescott. Here's some of the rationale provided by the outlet:

"After a Year 3 star turn that garnered a Super Bowl appearance and a $255 million contract, Hurts' play dipped in 2023. His QBR ranking fell from fourth (68.3) to 12th (60.1). His 15 interceptions were so uncharacteristic that the total nearly matched that of his first three years combined (18). A knee injury that he tried his best to manage clearly affected him, according to several evaluators."

Other such rankings have echoed a similar sentiment regarding Hurts, some even calling into question whether or not his run in 20222 was a fluke, or simply the byproduct of a stacked offense. Some of the criticism has been fair. There are several areas where Hurts needs to improve moving forward, including limiting turnovers and showing a bit more patience in the pocket. 24 total turnovers in entirely too many.

But, Hurts was far from Philadelphia's only issue last season, as there was clearly a disconnect between the players and the coaching staff -- on both sides of the ball. The defense couldn't stop anyone by the end of the season, and the offense was as bland and vanilla as it possibly could be. There was minimal pre-snap motion and just a complete lack of creativity. There's also some truth to the fact that Hurts was bothered by that nagging knee injury. It's not an excuse for subpar play, but it certainly could be a contributing factor.

A case of collective amnesia?

It feels like Philadelphia's collective collapse last season gave many people amnesia when it comes to just how good Hurts was in 2022 when he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in just his second season as a full-time starter -- and just how good he was in that Super Bowl.

People remember his costly fumble that resulted in a touchdown for Kansas City in the first half, but Hurts was objectively great in that game. In fact, he posted the second-highest QB grade in a Super Bowl since 2006, according to Pro Football Focus. The only QB to post a higher score was Nick Foles when the Eagles bested the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

It's apparently easier for some people to believe that Hurts' consistently stellar play in 2022 was more of a fluke than his uninspiring play during the second half of the '23 season while the walls were collapsing around him. Players in the NFL need to prove themselves annually, and that's no different for Hurts. But it does feel like he's become slightly underrated for some reasons that might have been out of his control.

It's also worth noting that Hurts is still just 25 years old, so he has ample time -- and room -- for improvement. With a more imaginative offensive approach under new coordinator Kellen Moore and a (hopefully) healthy knee in 2024, Hurts will have an excellent opportunity to show that his performance during the 2023 season was much more of a fluke than how he played in 2022.