October 28, 2024
After a 2-2 start heading into the bye week where the Eagles were in a state of crisis, the Birds have rebounded in a way that would make Charles Barkley jealous. The Eagles now stand at 5-2, ripping off three straight wins, each one more convincing than the last. In the team's 37-17 victory over the Bengals, Jalen Hurts looked like a true star quarterback, a level he had not fully hit at any prior point this season.
After that massive W over a would-be contender in Cincinnati, let's take a look at the numbers behind Hurts' huge day:
• Since Hurts became the Eagles' full-time starter in 2021, there have been just three games where a starting QB ran for three TDs in a single game. Shocker: they were all by Hurts. The quarterback did that in Cincy and previously did so against the Bears in 2022 and the Saints in 2021 (via Stathead). It's happened just nine total times this century with Hurts joining the likes of Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Daunte Culpepper, Cam Newton and Saint Joe's Prep grad Rich Gannon.
• Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Hurts' 45 rushing touchdowns are the most by any player in the NFL, just edging out Derrick Henry with 44.
• Hurts' 48 career rushing touchdowns are the third most in NFL history by a quarterback (via StatMuse). He sits below his peer Josh Allen, who has 56, and then Cam Newton at the top at 75.
• Hurts is tied for the most three-rushing TD games in Eagles franchise history. It's happened 15 times for the team (via Stathead). Wilbert Montgomery had done so three times previously, as did Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren.
• Hurts' yards per pass attempt over these last three wins: 10.6, 8.1, 11.8. Elite stuff. That's moved his rate on the season overall to 8.1, a career-best number. It's the highest yards per pass attempt for an Eagle over the course of a season (minimum 190 passes) since Nick Foles' magical 2013 campaign (via Stathead) at 9.1. It's been hit by just four Eagles QBs in the Super Bowl era: Hurts, Foles, Michael Vick (2010) and Donovan McNabb (2004, 2006).
• Hurts' passer rating of 132.5 against the Bengals was the third-highest mark of his career. That rate has been matched 18 times this century by an Eagles QB (via Stathead, minimum 20 pass attempts). McNabb did so 10 times, Kevin Kolb did once, Vick did once, Foles did twice and, rather surprisingly, Gardner Minshew.
• This season, Hurts has moved into third in franchise history in wins. He now trails McNabb (92), Ron Jaworski (69) and Randall Cunningham (63) (via Stathead).
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