Eagles-Chiefs Tremendous Bowl Movie Evaluation: Jalen Hurts silenced all of the doubters

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! This put up wants no introduction. What an unbelievable efficiency from Jalen Hurts, who silenced all of the doubters. LETS GO! [Previously: Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Film Review: Vic Fangio’s defense was unbelievably excellent]

You possibly can take a look at my podcast feed here to listen to extra from me. If you wish to help me additional, I’ve a Patreon linked to my podcast, which actually helps me out. I’ll be doing a full All22 video rewatch of the Tremendous Bowl on Patreon!

Offense

I’m satisfied that Jalen Hurts was not absolutely wholesome this season. I don’t suppose he’s regarded as quick as he has beforehand, and he’s solely 26 years previous. On this one, he regarded as quick as I’ve seen him look all season. He had some large scramble,s and he took off on the proper second. Hurts did what I mentioned he ought to do a number of weeks in the past. When the Eagles name 2×2 ideas (which I don’t love, and I’ve defined why earlier than), he doesn’t but have the power to get to his bottom routes persistently. Nevertheless, that doesn’t hassle me! I’m utterly pleased with him studying half the sector after which checking it down or taking off up the sector if obligatory. He did this very well on this recreation. It prevented detrimental performs and sacks and saved the offense in rhythm all through the sport. The Chiefs had been centered on stopping Saquon Barkley, and I feel they forgot in regards to the capacity of Hurts to increase performs. Hurts managed to keep away from detrimental performs, which is essential towards this protection. Hurts managed the sport and the state of affairs completely.

Did anybody else utterly lose their thoughts when this flag was thrown? It was a horrendous name. I liked the aggressive to go for it on 4th down and take the shot to AJ Brown. It set the tone and confirmed that the Eagles weren’t frightened of the Chiefs’ protection. The Chiefs performed a variety of man protection, and Trent McDuffie lined up over AJ Brown. I predicted the Chiefs would do that and that AJ Brown would beat McDuffie. I used to be appropriate!

Trent McDuffie is a wonderful (though undersized) nook who might find yourself on AJ Brown. I feel this could be a unbelievable matchup for the Eagles, despite the fact that McDuffie is nice, as a result of I feel AJ Brown can bodily dominate him on the catch level and the road of scrimmage.

McDuffie is a superb cornerback, however AJ Brown is an elite receiver. Brown may be the perfect receiver towards man protection within the league proper now. I do know that followers turned irritated with the dearth of creativity and reliance on down-the-field throws at occasions final yr, however I’ve persistently mentioned that I don’t thoughts it. I like this play on 4th down. It isn’t a 50/50 ball when you’ve got AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts. Hurts throws this ball higher than anybody within the league. This could have been an enormous achieve. I used to be so annoyed as a result of it was by no means offensive move interference. AJ Brown received this rep truthful and sq..

I’m positive all of us predicted that Jahan Dotson would make the primary large play of the sport! This was one other nice learn and throw by Jalen Hurts. He reads the late security rotation and takes the one-on-one matchup on the surface. The Eagles choose up the blitz completely, and Barkley’s block within the backfield is excellent. Just like the protection, this offense was ready for regardless of the Chiefs referred to as.

Dotson’s route right here is de facto fascinating. Dotson doesn’t get off press protection very properly. It’s his greatest subject as a receiver. He wins right here, although! He runs this route as if he’s blocking for a display on the surface,e and he sucks the surface cornerback in. I’d like to ask him if that is one thing he noticed in his movie examine and deliberate it. If it was deliberate, it’s a unbelievable little bit of recreation planning! Dotson sells it completely. If it’s one thing that Dotson does on the fly, that’s equally spectacular.

I felt wonderful in regards to the recreation after this one. The development that Jalen Hurts has made as a quarterback since popping out of faculty is big. It might be good if media members spent extra time highlighting his development (maybe I’ll write about this quickly…) reasonably than speaking about what he doesn’t do properly. His development over the previous few years has been large. This was a sensible play.

The Eagles couldn’t run the ball. If the Eagles had misplaced this recreation, Philadelphia radio stations can be going completely psychological. It’s virtually unimaginable how dangerous the Eagles’ run recreation was. Saquon Barkley had 25 carries for 57 yards with a 15% success price. That’s absurd! This was among the best run video games of all time, and so they simply couldn’t get something going. I’ll get into why later. The run recreation performed a job within the offense’s success regardless of being ineffective.

Nevertheless, the Eagles nonetheless ended with 135 dashing yards, and far of it was all the way down to the play of Jalen Hurts. I’m such a fan of this one. The Eagles are ok to win within the common season with out getting Hurts hit an excessive amount of. Nevertheless, you don’t want to carry again when it is the Tremendous Bowl. In fact, I feel the Eagles didn’t run Jalen Hurts sufficient on this recreation. I’d have used him extra and Barkley much less as a result of it’s clear that Hurts was more practical within the run recreation.

This was the one terrible play of the sport. Hurts had 1 turnover-worthy throw and 9 big-time throws on this recreation, which is fairly spectacular. However this one was dangerous. There’s rather a lot I didn’t like. Firstly, I would favor the offense to have a test the place the surface receiver can merely cease and catch a brief hitch route if the surface cornerback blitzes. As a substitute, AJ Brown goes deep. Hurts appropriately identifies the cornerback blitz and takes the one-on-one shot, which isn’t any shock. Sadly, the offensive line blows their task right here (I do not know why Cam Jurgens blocks to his left), and Hurts is hit as he releases the ball. This results in the interception. Hurts has to throw this as a sack would knock them out of area objective vary. I’d have most well-liked one thing shorter towards an out of doors nook blitz.

Nevertheless, it was just one play. Aside from this, Hurts did a unbelievable job avoiding detrimental performs and placing the ball in hurt’s means. And this play wasn’t totally on him.

Proper, let’s get into it. I’ve had a variety of questions on why the Eagles’ working recreation was so ineffective. I’ve watched each single run from a number of angles, and these are my takeaways as to why…

• The Chiefs’ defensive plan was to cease the run. They had been hyper-focused on it. They all the time had males across the line of scrimmage. After they performed two excessive, the safeties got here flying downhill rapidly. The Chiefs tackled exceptionally properly. General, the Chiefs’ protection was excellent in run protection. You possibly can inform that they spent many of the previous 2 weeks watching the Eagles’ working recreation.
• The Eagles’ inside offensive line couldn’t create a lot working room. Landon Dickerson was clearly damage and didn’t play in addition to common. I observed in my Patreon rewatch that Cam Jurgens had a number of poor reps. I’m wondering if he performed damage, too. The Eagles’ offensive line couldn’t double the line of defense and get to the 2nd stage as a result of the Chiefs had been flying downhill so rapidly. This was a giant subject within the zone working recreation.
• It was not a schematic downside. The Eagles tried a variety of various things. I noticed toss performs, under-center runs with a full again, outdoors zone, inside zone, counter, QB runs, and many others. The Eagles tried a variety of various things. Nothing labored!
• Saquon Barkley didn’t have a ‘magical’ efficiency. Generally, Barkley creates one thing out of nothing. However he couldn’t on this recreation. Nick Bolton was wonderful at tackling on the open area, and the Chiefs’ defenders flew to the soccer.

Regardless of all of those factors, the run recreation performed a job on this victory! The early down run recreation received the Eagles’ offense on schedule. Even when they solely picked up 2-3 yards, it didn’t put them behind the sticks. The Eagles’ passing recreation was extra easy as a result of the Chiefs’ protection centered on stopping the run. I most likely wouldn’t have run Barkley 25 occasions, however I used to be glad the Eagles dedicated to the run. They didn’t turn into one-dimensional. That was necessary.

Hear, there’s been a variety of Kellen Moore speak this week. I’d have favored him to have stayed as offensive coordinator simply to provide this offense stability. Nevertheless, you don’t want to fret about this offense subsequent yr. This offense isn’t schematically good. It feels bizarre to say this in a blowout, however I wasn’t the largest fan of the sport plan this week. I most well-liked final week’s recreation towards Washington far more than this one. There have been a number of good play calls, however a variety of the offense’s success got here all the way down to the power of Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, and Devonta Smith. I don’t care who the offensive coordinator is subsequent yr – you may nonetheless run this. That is virtually not possible to cease. This offense has an excessive amount of expertise to not be good.

Actually, I’ve been annoyed with the passing offense for a very long time this season. I feel this workforce will likely be nice with out Kellen Moore.

Right here’s one other play design that I didn’t love. The Eagles returned to extra 2×2 routes reasonably than the kind of performs we noticed towards Washington, the place Hurts had a number of choices in his line of imaginative and prescient. There may be nothing open right here. Hurts make the correct resolution to get out the pocket reasonably than making an attempt to do an excessive amount of. He solely took two sacks in whole, which was a giant purpose the offense succeeded. As soon as once more, I didn’t have a look at this recreation and suppose that the Eagles should preserve their offensive coordinator. Perhaps I’m harsh, however I can solely say what I see!

This was most likely my favourite offensive play of the evening. This can be a magnificence. You possibly can’t see this too properly on the All22, however the Eagles sprinted to the road of scrimmage and snapped this one rapidly. They caught the Chiefs’ protection on their heels. The Eagles run each one to the right-hand facet and produce AJ Brown in the other way. It could sound easy, as a result of it’s! Simplicity in soccer may be nice. The Chiefs’ defenders are caught up within the site visitors, and AJ Brown sneaks out to the flat wide-open. That is straightforward.

If I had been teaching Jalen Hurts, I’d like to get him to do that extra. I feel this offense has untapped potential outdoors of construction. I’ll all the time be course of> outcomes, and I like the method of this play name, even when it doesn’t work as designed. I want getting receivers inside Hurts’ line of imaginative and prescient reasonably than 2×2 ideas, as I mentioned earlier than. Hurts breaks out of the pocket, retains his eyes down the sector, and hits Barkley alongside the sideline. Though Barkley didn’t have his greatest recreation as a runner, he impacted the passing recreation.

That is the good things. I may watch it time and again. Because the Tremendous Bowl, I could have watched it not less than 50 occasions…

The Eagles run counter-action upfront, which I’ve been asking for all season lengthy. The protection sees the pulling guards and expects a run. Nevertheless, the Eagles are literally working a 3-level stretch play, with Devonta Smith working a deep put up route. This play is a split-safety killer and Hurts learn the protection rotation completely and is aware of that the deep security will chew on the Flood route, which signifies that he could have a shot on the deep put up. It’s an unbelievable throw and catch. This play will go down within the Eagles’ historical past.

Additionally, on a extra random notice, watch the Chiefs’ linebackers chew on the play-action. This protection was obsessive about stopping Barkley within the run recreation.

I’ve saved my rant for final. Let’s discuss Jalen Hurts. A few of the criticism of him as a quarterback has been completely absurd this yr. I’ve been accused of being pro-Hurts this yr, however I virtually wanted to defend him as a result of he faces a lot undeserved criticism. He isn’t excellent. He isn’t the completed product. He’s a 26-year-old who has outplayed Mahomes in 2 separate Tremendous Bowls and simply received Tremendous Bowl MVP. He doesn’t flip the ball over very a lot. He’s exceptionally correct down the sector. He’s a large a part of the Eagles’s run recreation. In my participant evaluation of Hurts on the finish of 2023, I concluded by saying this…

I feel deciding you probably have a franchise quarterback is fairly easy. Can I win a Tremendous Bowl with him? The reply with Hurts is sure. How do I do know this? I watched him ball out within the playoffs, and I nonetheless suppose he would have crushed Patrick Mahomes in a shootout if James Bradberry hadn’t gotten referred to as for holding on third down. Simply ask Josh Allen how onerous it’s for a quarterback to compete with Mahomes.

This isn’t an ‘Eagles-Cowboys’ rivalry factor, I promise, however I do discover it humorous after I see Dak ranked a tier above Hurts. I feel on movie, you may definitely argue Dak is a greater passer in the course of the common season and at this level of their respective careers. But it surely’s shut and you may’t simply ignore the playoffs. That’s when all of it issues!

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

I’ve seen Hurts ship within the playoffs and on the largest stage of all of them. This is the reason I’m not anxious about Hurts long-term, and I feel he performed higher this season than lots of people give him credit score for.

Ignore among the nonsense you learn on-line about Hurts. There would have been a variety of Normal Managers watching this Tremendous Bowl and wishing they might substitute their present quarterback with Jalen Hurts. I’m so comfortable for him and so happy with his efficiency. He’s confronted a variety of setbacks in his profession, and it’s unimaginable to recollect simply how younger he’s. There are a variety of quarterbacks on this league who’re persistently ranked above Hurts but have by no means had wherever close to the success that he has had thus far in his profession. The Eagles are so fortunate to have him.

What a season.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!

Thanks for studying! I’d love to listen to your ideas, so be happy to remark beneath and ask any questions. If you happen to loved this piece, you will discover extra of my work and podcast here.