(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Jalen Hurts has brought hope and excitement back to the Delaware Valley after his first career NFL start leading the Eagles to a dramatic 24-21 upset of the New Orleans Saints, who entered the game as the #1 team in the NFC.
Hurts managed to bring back memories of former Eagles dual-threat quarterbacks such as Donovan McNabb and Randall Cunningham.
He dazzled with his legs, rushing for 106 yards and looked poised as a passer. Finishing 17-30 for 167 yards and a touchdown through the air. Hurts impressed many by his on-field awareness, showcasing it by throwing the ball away when needed and not taking any sacks.
A very impressive performance for a quarterback making his first career NFL start. Here is how it compares to other star Eagles’ quarterbacks’ first career starts.
· Donovan McNabb- Donovan McNabb's first career start was Nov. 14, 1999, a 35-28 win in Week 10 over Washington. McNabb finished 8 for 21, 60 passing yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, and 49 rush yards.
· Randall Cunningham – Randall Cunningham struggled badly in his first career start vs the Rams, in a 17-6 loss finishing 14-34 with 4 interceptions and being sacked 5 times with a 22.7 passer rating. However, Cunningham rushed for 90 yards on the ground.
Michael Vick- Michael Vick’s first career start came on Nov.11, 2001 as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, a 20-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Vick finished 4-12 for 32 yards, 1 passing touchdown, 0 INT, and a 70.1 passer rating. Surprisingly, he only rushed for 4 yards.
· Nick Foles- Nick Foles’s first start was a rough one. A 31-6 loss to Washington on November 18, 2012. Foles finished 21-46 with 2 interceptions, and a 40.5 passer rating.
· Carson Wentz- On September 11, 2016, Carson Wentz had a great NFL debut, a 29-10 victory over the Browns on opening day. Wentz finished the afternoon 22-of-37 for 278 yards with two touchdowns and a 101.0 quarterback rating. Carson had the city excited over his debut and brought high hopes to the franchise.
In comparison, Jalen Hurts had one of the most impressive debuts among this group. Hurts’s numbers were solid and when you take into consideration he was going against the top defense in the NFL, and pulled off the upset, it only makes it that much more impressive of a performance.
Hurts was named the starter going into this weekend’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals come in at 7-6 and rank 12th in total defense, fighting for their playoff lives. They will have tape on Jalen Hurts to study.
The matchup will feature Hurts against fellow former Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray. Murray has had a good season so far, racking up 3,231 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, a 71 QBR, 712 rushing yards, and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Hurts will need to go head to toe with Murray and bail out a decimated Eagles' secondary in order for the Eagles to pull off another upset this Sunday in Arizona.