The Philadelphia Eagles had quite the roller coaster of a season in 2023. In defending their NFC Championship win and looking to get back to the Super Bowl, Nick Siriani and company started out with the best record in the NFL. But they would finish with as the 5th seed in their conference after losing 5 of their final 6 regular season games, and fizzled out in the Wild Card round of the playoffs against the Buccaneers.
Eagles Struggled To Finish Off 2023 NFL Season
Most rushest for first down over the last two seasons:
🥇 Christian McCaffrey – 142
🥈 Jalen Hurts – 136 pic.twitter.com/j6Wxl9BoDC— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) February 16, 2024
The blame has been widespread, including plenty that has been directed at quarterback Jalen Hurts. And according to one reputable NFL source, Hurts may just be the most overrated player in the league.
He was an MVP favorite through the first 11 or 12 weeks of the season. Not only were his passing numbers impressive enough, but Hurts also had his dual threat ability on full display, and he was the statistical benefactor of the Tush Push. In his first 11 games, Hurts had a total of 29 touchdowns vs. 10 turnovers.
But in the final 6 games, his completion percentage dropped from 67% t0 61%, and he threw as many interceptions (5) as he did touchdowns. And it wasn’t just that the Eagles had a poor ending to the season, but they lost games to the likes of the Giants and Cardinals, two teams that had virtually nothing to play for in the latter going of the season.
Simms Rips Hurts, Calls Him Overrated
Chris Simms on #Eagles QB Jalen Hurts:
“I respect a lot about Jalen Hurts, but I think Jalen Hurts is also like the most overrated player in football. That’s me, I know I’m wrong, I take a lot of crap about that comment. But he plays quarterback for a team that’s an all-star… pic.twitter.com/Q9du6Fg4jg
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) February 19, 2024
NFL analyst Chris Simms recently had some comments about Hurts and his situation in Philly, and the praises weren’t exactly high:
I respect a lot about Jalen Hurts, but I think Jalen Hurts is also like the most overrated player in football. That’s me, I know I’m wrong, I take a lot of crap about that comment. But he plays quarterback for a team that’s an all-star team, they have the best O-line in football, it’s not even close. I just think if you put some other quarterback in Philly, you put Kyler Murray in there, you’d say ‘Damn, Kyler’s amazing. Is he the MVP of football?’
There is some merit to Simms’ claims. The Eagles were considered to have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL last season, as Hurts is surrounded by explosive weapons, has a solid defense working for him, and has the most effective offensive line in football protecting him. He has had his struggles despite all of that, leading to Simms (and others) to make bold claims about his performances.
Hurts threw for 3,858 yards, tossed 23 touchdowns, and completed 352 passes in 2023, all of which are career high marks.
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