Most Important Jalen Hurts Stats From The Philadelphia Eagles Week One Win
Even though the Philadelphia Eagles won the first game of the 2024 NFL season, many fans are still frustrated with what they saw from the team's Franchise Quarterback Jalen Hurts.
After throwing Two Interceptions on Friday Night in Brazil, Jalen Hurts has now thrown an interception in five straight regular season games. The 26-year-old Quarterback had only 18 Interceptions through his first 34 NFL starts.
But since the start of the 2023 NFL season, Hurts has thrown 17 Interceptions in his last 18 starts. This has caused many Eagles fans to question if Hurts is worth the 5-year contract the Eagles gave him with $179.399 million guaranteed.
While many Eagles fans and Football Analysts are questioning Jalen Hurts, they are overlooking the most important statistics from Friday Night's game. These numbers reveal something very important about how Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore has already gotten more out of Hurts than Brian Johnson and Nick Sirianni did last season.
What Did Kellen Moore Do On Friday Night That Made Jalen Hurts Better?
In his first season as the Eagles Offensive Coordinator, Kellen Moore brought to Philadelphia a new system very different than what Nick Sirianni, Shane Steichen, and Brian Johnson were running over the last three seasons.
Kellen Moore is a former starting Quarterback at Boise State and a Backup QB with the Detroit Lions along with the Dallas Cowboys. Heavily influenced by innovative College Coach Chris Peterson and Mike Martz disciple Scott Linehan, Moore is a big believer in using Motion Presnap to help a Quarterback see if a defense is in Man or Zone.
Moore's work with Jalen Hurts this offseason paid major dividends on Friday Night. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Eagles Offense used Motion for 48 of 73 play calls (65.8%). This is the highest amount in a single Eagles game since 2020.
Jalen Hurts played his best when Kellen Moore called the presnap motion. The Eagles Quarterback completed 15 Passes on 21 Attempts for 212 Yards and Hurts threw two touchdowns. That also means the Eagles used motion for more Running Play Clalls than Passing Play Calls.
Where Jalen Hurts obviously struggled was when Offensive Coordinator Moore did not utilize motion. Hurts completed just 5 Passes out 13 Attempts on plays with no presnap motion. Both of Jalen's 2 interceptions thrown on Friday Night were on Pass Calls with no motion.
Also, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, Jalen Hurts threw both of his Interceptions in between the Hash Marks and completed only one of four attempts to the center of the field. Both of Hurts' Touchdown Passes were to the corners of the End Zone.
This is a major positive sign for Jalen Hurts development. There are clear areas where motion has made him more efficient. We also see exactly where he struggled the most and now Kellen Moore knows where he needs to coach up his Quarterback moving forward.
With no preseason game action and just one Intersquad practice during Training Camp, Friday Night was the first real football action Moore and Hurts had together. There are some real positives to take away from what the Eagles Offense did on Friday Night.
If you are a Philadelphia Sports fan who cannot make it to any Eagles home games this season, we have compiled a list of the best bars and restaurants in Cape May County to watch the Birds play this season:
Top Rated Places To Watch Eagles Games in Cape May County
Gallery Credit: Josh Hennig/Townsquare Media