Jalen Hurts didn’t just make the play of the game against the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.
He called it too.
On the Eagles’ clock-chewing, fourth-quarter drive, they were faced with a 3rd-and-12 from the Arizona 36-yard line. If they didn’t convert, they would have been in a really tough spot, going for a long field goal attempt with a rookie kicker in his NFL debut.
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In that huge moment, Jalen Hurts got to the line of scrimmage and didn’t see what the Eagles expected from the Cards. So he checked to a different play.
“Yeah, that was the play of the game,” offensive coordinator Shane Steichen said. “It was awesome by him.”
Steichen explained the Eagles had a play called anticipating man coverage and Hurts checked to one for zone. As they did all afternoon, the Cardinals brought pressure, this time with a zone blitz from the outside corner.
Hurts took a three-step drop, surveyed the field and hit Goedert, giving him a chance to gain enough YAC to move the chains.
“We had a different play on and Jalen did a great job getting into check and finding the open window,” Goedert said. “I know I needed to do everything I can to get to that first down, keep the chains moving and the clock ticking.”
That 7:58 drive for the Eagles in the fourth quarter was huge. They failed to get in the end zone but ate up a bunch of clock and at least got points on the board. Without the conversion on this third-down play, the Eagles would have needed a 53-yard field goal. Even if Cameron Dicker was able to hit that, it still would have left the Cardinals with over 4 minutes. When they finally got the ball back, there was just 1:45 left.
That 3rd-and-12 was the most important play of the game and Hurts checked to it.
“I was just trying to put us in the best position to make a play,” Hurts said. “Obviously in a crucial part in the game we came up big. They were showing us a lot of different looks up front. They played a really good football game, but that was a moment in the game, a very pivotal moment in the game — 3rd-and-long. Made a play. Dallas made a play, got to the right place, got to an advantageous play.”
Overall, Hurts didn’t have his best performance on Sunday. He completed 26 of 36 passes for 239 yards and rushed for 61 yards and couple touchdowns.
But we’re seeing a new level of comfort from him in his second season in Nick Sirianni’s offense and his second season with Steichen as the play-caller. It’s hard to know for sure, but maybe he doesn’t make that check last year.
“That's just the preparation part of it and being in the system for two years and understanding what we're trying to do offensively,” Steichen said. “It's the trust we have with him at the line of scrimmage getting to the right play.”
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