Well, Philadelphia Eagles fans, it sounds like it's time to pack it in and give up on the 2026 season after what quarterback Jalen Hurts did at the first joint practice with the New England Patriots.
This was a highly anticipated joint practice with all eyes on how Hurts would perform without his former number one wide receiver, A.J. Brown. From what it sounds like, Hurts could have done better.
SportsRadio 94 WIP Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks continued to track Hurts' stats and showed what he ended up doing. Hurts finished by completing 19-of-27 passes and threw zero touchdowns to three interceptions. That might look scary on paper, but let's really break it all down.
Does Jalen Hurts' three interceptions really tell the story at Eagles-Patriots joint practice?
Let's first examined all three of the interceptions that Hurts threw. Shorr-Parks breaks down what happened on those passes and who was the blame for them.
"The first was a pass that Hurts threw right to (Dontayvion) Wicks but it bounced off his hands and the Patriots defender got to it before it hit the ground. The second was a short, quick pass to (Britain) Covey but there must have been a miscommunication as the ball went right to a Patriots defender, who ran it back for a pick-six. The third interception was on Hurts it seemed. The pass was it seemed on a crossing route over the middle of the field but it sailed on Hurts and was picked off."
It's tough on Hurts when he's got two passes that were tipped and intercepted to be put on him. He had one of those passes right on Wicks, and he's got to make the catch, and in this training camp, Wicks usually has. Plus, Covey is usually not out there with Hurts, so it's difficult for those two to have chemistry when Covey is primarily a returner and not a first-team receiver.
If the last interception is on Hurts, so be it. He has to do a better job protecting the football, and he needs to clean that up.
While most people outside of Philly don't want to look at the positives from Hurts because everyone has to be so negative with him, let's look at his best plays. Shorr-Parks again breaks down two passes Hurts threw well.
"The first was a deep pass to Elijah Moore which was nearly a 45+ yard touchdown but Moore was down just short of the end zone. The throw was perfect and right in stride for Moore, who threw the ball up in the air celebrating after the big play.
The second was a wheel route(ish) completion to Will Shipley on what seemed to be a blitz. Hurts moved back in the pocket, allowing Shipley to get down the field before lofting it to Shipley about 15ish yards in the air. The throw gave Shipley plenty of room to run and he got about 30ish more yards after the catch."
If Shorr-Parks' stats are correct, Hurts completed 70.3% of his passes, which would actually be a really good day for him. Those aren't the completion percentages he usually hits during training camp, so he's showing good accuracy.
Let's remember Hurts has had only about two months in this new offense with offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Hurts is also trying to build chemistry with receivers without having DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon out there on the field with him.
Mistakes are going to get made, and Hurts is going to throw interceptions, as he makes adjustments to what Mannion wants with throwing in the middle of the field and building rapport with new receivers. He's out of his comfort zone and trying to figure out what works and doesn't work. This is the time to make sure he has everything figured out before the regular season begins and these games start to count.
Read more: Quinyon Mitchell put A.J. Brown on notice with 1 play at Eagles-Patriots practice
Was it a perfect day at the office for Hurts? No, that's fair; he still needs to clean up his side of things. Let's not overreact and say he had a horrible day when this conversation needs context.
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