The words Hurts does not want to hear

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The Eagles are 5-0 for only the third time in franchise history and the first time since 2004.

Just don’t tell Jalen Hurts.

“I personally hate hearing 5-0,” Hurts said Sunday night. “I don't like to hear it. Because nobody wanted to mention the record when we were 2-5. Nobody wanted to talk about that. So I don’t want to hear it now. I don’t want to hear it now. 

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“Can we come in here and control the things we can, attack every day and just grow and climb? That's what matters. The process. Not anything else.”

Of course everybody mentioned the record when the Eagles were 2-5 two months into last year, but since then they’re 12-2 in meaningful regular-season games, and they remain the NFL’s only undefeated team heading into Week 6.

Hurts doesn't want to hear it. He's not one for taking bows 29 percent of the way through the season.

This is who he is. He’s never satisfied, he’s never content, and even if he went 50-for-50 with 50 touchdown passes he’d find something he didn't do well.

Hurts knows that as the leader and captain and quarterback, his messaging is heard by everybody in that locker room. And if his message right now is to not even think about that 5-0 record, you better believe that's getting through.

“We’re going to enjoy this because winning is not easy,” he said after the Eagles beat the Cards at State Farm Stadium. “Winning is hard. You earn it every week. We put a lot of work into this every week and we just want to go out there and play to the standard that we set for ourselves. That’s just the competitive nature we have. I have.”

The Eagles are 5-0 but they really haven’t played a complete game yet. They’ve still only scored 29 points after halftime – 3rd-fewest in the league – and they’ve only scored one 4th-quarter touchdown.

The mark of a good team is one that wins despite not playing a perfect game. On Sunday, the Eagles didn’t really do anything particularly well – except kick the ball– but they still won a road game over a dangerous opponent with a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

That’s how it goes when you’re the league’s only undefeated team. You’ve got a bull’s-eye on your back, and the Eagles learned that Sunday.

“I think we’re going to get everybody’s best,” Hurts said. “We’re going to play a lot of good football teams this year, and we have to be ready for the challenges ahead. We’re a really good football team, and we’re still growing. We’re still learning. We haven’t played our best yet so it’s just a ton to learn from.

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“A lot of respect for (the Cards). We’ve got to learn from it and we will and we’re hungry for it.”

The Cowboys come to town this weekend for a national TV game, and they’ve won four straight under Cooper Rush and seven of the last nine matchups with the Eagles, and first place in the NFC East will be on the line. 

So they better learn quickly because another sub-par performance probably won’t be good enough.

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