Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of our NFL QB Stock Report series. Every week, Jeff Howe notes who\u2019s rising and falling at starting quarterback (and why) for all 32 teams.<\/p>\n
Jalen Hurts has become one of the NFL\u2019s premier winners.<\/p>\n
The Super Bowl LIX MVP has guided the Philadelphia Eagles to a 2-0 start for the third time in the last four years. His 39 regular-season victories over that stretch are tied with Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen for the most in the league, but Hurts did it in fewer starts than both of them.<\/p>\n
As one league executive said, Hurts has been a perfect fit for the Eagles\u2019 system.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a killer,\u201d said a rival executive, who was granted anonymity so he could speak openly. \u201cHis toughness and makeup are so underrated. He\u2019s got so many competitive things about him that make him special. We concern ourselves so much about arm talent and then just completely underrate the intangibles at the position. When you were around him in the draft process, you were never going to bet against him, and the rest of the team reflects that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hurts plays the game in his own unique style, leaning into his strengths and limiting the exposure of his weaknesses. While several executives and coaches polled for this story don\u2019t view Hurts as a top-10 talent as a pure passer, it\u2019s disingenuous to suggest quarterbacks must play a certain way to be successful.<\/p>\n
Hurts has been a high-character leader who has proven capable of moving the ball by just about any means necessary. He was an incredibly efficient passer in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, completing 19-of-23 attempts for 152 yards while exploiting matchups in the middle of the field.<\/p>\n
The numbers weren\u2019t sexy, but they were effective enough, especially with running back Saquon Barkley limited to 84 yards from scrimmage. The short, easy completions were part of the reason the Eagles held an advantage in time of possession by nearly 10 minutes. Hurts also added 62 rushing yards and two touchdowns, with his biggest plays coming on the ground.<\/p>\n
Hurts\u2019 stats were similarly bland Sunday in Kansas City, with him going 15-of-22 for 101 yards while contributing 15 yards and a score as a rusher. The Eagles won the time of possession battle by five minutes.<\/p>\n
Certainly, Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones had a point when he called out Hurts\u2019 stat line<\/a> as the Eagles were kneeling out the clock. But Hurts retorted perfectly, took the ball and went home with a win.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n After witnessing the Chiefs\u2019 half-decade of dominance \u2014 with teams losing at Arrowhead often in incomprehensible fashion \u2014 no one should ever apologize for leaving Kansas City with a win. By comparison, Mahomes beat three non-playoff teams in 2024 \u2014 the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns \u2014 without eclipsing 200 passing yards or 30 points. Allen was similarly pedestrian Sunday against the New York Jets, going 14-of-25 for 148 yards.<\/p>\n There are no bonus points for being the league\u2019s offensive player of the week. Hell, the players don\u2019t even get a certificate to hang on their refrigerator anymore.<\/p>\n Instead, Hurts simply just gets it done. He plays to the Eagles\u2019 strengths, running an outstanding duo game with Barkley, popping the ball outside to receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith when the situation warrants and utilizing one of the best offensive lines to his advantage. There isn\u2019t a quarterback on the planet better suited to run the Tush push<\/a> than Hurts.<\/p>\n Now, there\u2019s a stock counterargument to be made against Hurts: How many other quarterbacks would have similar success \u2014 perhaps with better numbers \u2014 if they had the Eagles\u2019 same supporting cast paired with an excellent defense? Probably a decent amount, to be sure.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t be blinded by what you can\u2019t see. Hurts doesn\u2019t necessarily control games like Mahomes, Allen or Lamar Jackson, but the Eagles don\u2019t often need him to do that.<\/p>\n Hurts does the dirty stuff well, though. He\u2019s responsible for making good calls with Barkley. He has to manage expectations in a Philadelphia market that\u2019s unrelenting. And he has to deliver results with that talent in place around him.<\/p>\n As long as Hurts continues to do all that, he should be viewed as one of the NFL\u2019s best overall players.<\/p>\n Here they go again \u2026<\/p>\n It almost felt inevitable.<\/p>\n J.J. McCarthy isn\u2019t expected to play<\/a> this week after suffering an ankle injury Sunday night in the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 ugly 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons<\/a>. McCarthy, who missed his rookie season due to meniscus surgery, badly needs game reps to improve his consistency.<\/p>\n More than that, he needs a lot more from his offensive line.<\/p>\n The 2024 first-round pick has had one great quarter through two games, but let\u2019s not hammer the 22-year-old for the slow start. The Vikings clearly knew this was coming, as their work in training camp and the preseason was indicative of a team that was prepared to start slowly on offense. Their looks weren\u2019t nearly as advanced as they had been in 2024 when Sam Darnold was thriving.<\/p>\n And let’s remember how quickly things went off the rails last season for Darnold once the offensive line got so banged up that it could no longer provide passable protection. He was a high-end QB for a long stretch before he was sacked 12 times and hit 22 times over the Vikings\u2019 back-to-back losses in January. There isn\u2019t a quarterback alive who could even tread water under that duress.<\/p>\n McCarthy has been sacked nine times and taken 16 hits in his first two starts. The Vikings haven\u2019t had left tackle Christian Darrisaw yet this season, and center Ryan Kelly suffered a concussion in the first half in Week 2. A first-time starting QB needs an experienced center more than most realize, especially when a rookie left guard is sandwiched between two backups.<\/p>\n Admittedly, there have been times when McCarthy has held the ball too long as he\u2019s sorted through his reads. That\u2019s also explainable because he needs the reps. And when a QB lacks confidence in his protections \u2014 either in the line\u2019s physical ability to win blocks or possibly in the backup center\u2019s ability to make the right blocking calls \u2014 it\u2019s unrealistic to expect McCarthy to be fully dialed into his progressions.<\/p>\n These aren\u2019t excuses. They\u2019re simple quarterbacking rules.<\/p>\n McCarthy still made a few big-time throws \u2014 bigger gains up the right side to Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Jalen Nailor come to mind \u2014 when he had time, and it\u2019s obvious how much the Vikings naturally rally around their young quarterback. McCarthy has the requisite tools to be a starting QB.<\/p>\n He simply needs enough experience to get there. And until the line prevents McCarthy from doubling as a crash-test dummy, the youngster\u2019s trajectory will be spotty.<\/p>\n Keeping up with the Joneses<\/p>\n As the league shifts more heavily toward the $50 million quarterback, reclamation projects have started to become in vogue.<\/p>\n Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield walked so Sam Darnold could run.<\/p>\n So who\u2019s next?<\/p>\n Daniel Jones and Mac Jones are two early candidates. The former first-round picks are playing for their third teams. If either organization had its way, neither would have seen the field yet, but Daniel Jones beat out Anthony Richardson over the summer to win the Indianapolis Colts\u2019 starting job, while Mac Jones just made his first spot start in place of injured San Francisco 49ers starter Brock Purdy.<\/p>\n Daniel Jones has completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns, and he\u2019s rushed for three scores while playing turnover-free football. The Colts have surprisingly dispatched the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos<\/a> to start 2-0.<\/p>\n Mac Jones, meanwhile, finished Sunday 26-of-39 for 279 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-21 victory against the New Orleans Saints<\/a>, and he could get more time if Purdy\u2019s turf toe remains problematic.<\/p>\n