Jalen Hurts is exactly the quarterback that the Philadelphia Eagles need, despite him receiving ongoing criticism.
The Philadelphia Eagles were able to grab a massive win in Week 1 of the new NFL season over the Washington Commanders, starting their 2026 year off well.
While the game wasn't the prettiest of wins, the Eagles were able to do just another to edge out their NFC East rival. Philadelphia will learn from this game, cleaning up some of the mistakes as the year moves forward.
But in the game, quarterback Jalen Hurts was able to silence some of his doubters with his play. Hurts threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Eagles to victory.
While the numbers don't pop off the page, Hurts got the job done. And he moves to 6-0 in his career in season-opening games, which is an impressive feat.
Hurts has been met with all sorts of criticism, some fair and some unfair, over his NFL career. Last season, he did see some inconsistency take over, leading to real questions around the Eagles' offensive attack.
But in Week 1, Hurts showed that he could play within the flow of a game, making plays when his team needed it most. And this is all any team can ask from its leader on the field.
“It’s the beauty of having Jalen Hurts as your QB,” offensive tackle Jordan Mailata said. “He can make plays when plays are there.”
Hurts has led this franchise to a Super Bowl title, winning the MVP of the game in the process. And yet, whatever he does on the field doesn't seem to be good enough for some people.
But the veteran signal-caller isn't worried about the outside noise, instead trying to focus on getting better each week. The goal of this franchise is to win another Super Bowl title, with Hurts being at the center of it all.
“Jalen has worked extremely hard at that portion of his game,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “He really can throw. He just puts the ball on the money in those situations, which helps you be explosive.”
The Eagles' success in 2026 will hinge on Hurts making sure to limit turnovers and push the ball down the field. Unlike last season, Philadelphia's offense has already shown that they can throw it downfield, giving some needed change from a year ago.
In the NFL, a win is a win, and the goal is to stack wins to get into the playoffs. And for the Eagles, that means having a chance for their quarterback to show why he is an elite performer once the postseason starts.
