Much has been made about Jalen Hurts as a passer, but his success on the ground cannot be disputed. The dual-threat quarterback is as physical a runner as they come at the position and is a big reason why the Eagles’ rushing attack is tops in the league.
In his 14 starts this season, Hurts has eight games in which he rushed for 50+ yards, tied for fifth-most in the league. Furthermore, Hurts and Lamar Jackson are the only quarterbacks in the top 20 in games with 50 or more yards.
If you bump that figure up to 60+ rushing yards in a game, Hurts is tied with running backs Damien Harris and Derrick Henry for seven such games.
Again, Hurts as a passer leaves a lot to be desired, but as a runner, the Eagles’ signal-caller is one of the best in the business.
And, with two games remaining this season, Hurts has a shot to etch his name in the NFL history books with his success on the ground.
On the season, Hurts has recorded 11 rushing touchdowns, which is fifth-most in the league and first amongst quarterbacks. The NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season is 14, which Cam Newton accomplished his rookie season in 2011.
Just three shy of tying the record and four short of breaking it, all eyes will be on Hurts, particularly around the goal line, in the final two games of the season. It’s a bit of a long shot, as racking up five rushing touchdowns in two contests would be quite the feat, but it will be interesting to see how high Hurts can climb the all-time leaderboard.
With Miles Sanders out for the remainder of the season, there’s a chance the Eagles will lean on Hurts as a rusher a little more. The duo of Jordan Howard and Boston Scott caused carnage earlier in the year and Nick Sirianni will be banking for that to happen again, but knowing that Jalen Hurts is also in the fold adds so much more to an offense that now prides itself on pounding the rock.
The Birds are averaging 5.1 yards per carry and lead the league with a total of 2,448 to date. Jalen Hurts has accounted for 740 of them. There’s a very high chance that Sirianni will give Hurts more opportunities to punish a run defense that recently allowed the Eagles to put up 238 Yards against them. If they can successfully dismantle the WFT as expected, then the idea of a Dallas defense filled with second stringers is an enticing one for Jalen Hurts.
As of this writing, Hurts’ 10 rushing touchdowns on the year rank fourth all-time amongst quarterbacks. With just one more, he can move up to third place and up to second all-time if he can reach paydirt two more times. There is every chance he hits that milestone and maybe even goes beyond it over the course of the next two weeks.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
