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

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! This publish 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 may try 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 totally wholesome this season. I don’t suppose he’s appeared as quick as he has beforehand, and he’s solely 26 years outdated. On this one, he appeared as quick as I’ve seen him look all season. He had some enormous scramble,s and he took off on the proper second. Hurts did what I mentioned he ought to do just a few 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 flexibility to get to his bottom routes constantly. Nonetheless, that doesn’t hassle me! I’m fully proud of him studying half the sector after which checking it down or taking off up the sector if needed. He did this very well on this sport. It prevented damaging performs and sacks and saved the offense in rhythm all through the sport. The Chiefs have been targeted on stopping Saquon Barkley, and I believe they forgot concerning the capability of Hurts to increase performs. Hurts managed to keep away from damaging performs, which is essential towards this protection. Hurts managed the sport and the scenario completely.

Did anybody else fully lose their thoughts when this flag was thrown? It was a horrendous name. I cherished 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 afraid of the Chiefs’ protection. The Chiefs performed numerous 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 right!

Trent McDuffie is a wonderful (though undersized) nook who might find yourself on AJ Brown. I believe this could be a improbable matchup for the Eagles, though McDuffie is sweet, as a result of I believe 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 is likely to be the perfect receiver towards man protection within the league proper now. I do know that followers grew to become aggravated with the shortage of creativity and reliance on down-the-field throws at occasions final yr, however I’ve constantly 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 acquire. I used to be so pissed off as a result of it was by no means offensive go interference. AJ Brown received this rep truthful and sq..

I’m certain all of us predicted that Jahan Dotson would make the primary huge 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 decide 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 absolutely fascinating. Dotson doesn’t get off press protection very effectively. It’s his largest subject as a receiver. He wins right here, although! He runs this route as if he’s blocking for a display screen 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 research and deliberate it. If it was deliberate, it’s a improbable little bit of sport planning! Dotson sells it completely. If it’s one thing that Dotson does on the fly, that’s equally spectacular.

I felt wonderful concerning the sport 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…) relatively than speaking about what he doesn’t do effectively. His development over the previous few years has been enormous. This was a sensible play.

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

Nonetheless, 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 adequate to win within the common season with out getting Hurts hit an excessive amount of. Nonetheless, you don’t want to carry again when it is the Tremendous Bowl. In reality, I believe the Eagles didn’t run Jalen Hurts sufficient on this sport. I’d have used him extra and Barkley much less as a result of it’s clear that Hurts was simpler within the run sport.

This was the one terrible play of the sport. Hurts had 1 turnover-worthy throw and 9 big-time throws on this sport, which is fairly spectacular. However this one was dangerous. There’s lots I didn’t like. Firstly, I would favor the offense to have a verify 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 accurately 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 purpose vary. I’d have most well-liked one thing shorter towards an outdoor nook blitz.

Nonetheless, it was just one play. Apart from this, Hurts did a improbable job avoiding damaging performs and placing the ball in hurt’s manner. And this play wasn’t solely on him.

Proper, let’s get into it. I’ve had numerous questions on why the Eagles’ operating sport 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 have been hyper-focused on it. They at all times had males across the line of scrimmage. After they performed two excessive, the safeties got here flying downhill shortly. The Chiefs tackled exceptionally effectively. General, the Chiefs’ protection was excellent in run protection. You may inform that they spent a lot of the previous 2 weeks watching the Eagles’ operating sport.
• The Eagles’ inside offensive line couldn’t create a lot operating room. Landon Dickerson was clearly harm and didn’t play in addition to standard. I observed in my Patreon rewatch that Cam Jurgens had just a few poor reps. I ponder if he performed harm, too. The Eagles’ offensive line couldn’t double the defensive position and get to the 2nd stage as a result of the Chiefs have been flying downhill so shortly. This was a giant subject within the zone operating sport.
• It was not a schematic downside. The Eagles tried numerous various things. I noticed toss performs, under-center runs with a full again, outdoors zone, inside zone, counter, QB runs, and so forth. The Eagles tried numerous various things. Nothing labored!
• Saquon Barkley didn’t have a ‘magical’ efficiency. Typically, Barkley creates one thing out of nothing. However he couldn’t on this sport. 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 sport performed a task on this victory! The early down run sport acquired 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 sport was extra easy as a result of the Chiefs’ protection targeted 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 change into one-dimensional. That was necessary.

Pay attention, there’s been numerous Kellen Moore speak this week. I’d have favored him to have stayed as offensive coordinator simply to provide this offense stability. Nonetheless, you don’t want to fret about this offense subsequent yr. This offense shouldn’t be schematically sensible. It feels bizarre to say this in a blowout, however I wasn’t the most important fan of the sport plan this week. I most well-liked final week’s sport towards Washington rather more than this one. There have been just a few good play calls, however numerous the offense’s success got here all the way down to the flexibility 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 nearly inconceivable to cease. This offense has an excessive amount of expertise to not be good.

Truthfully, I’ve been pissed off with the passing offense for a very long time this season. I believe this staff might 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 relatively 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’s nothing open right here. Hurts make the suitable choice to get out the pocket relatively than making an attempt to do an excessive amount of. He solely took two sacks in complete, which was a giant purpose the offense succeeded. As soon as once more, I didn’t take a look at this sport and suppose that the Eagles should maintain their offensive coordinator. Possibly I’m harsh, however I can solely say what I see!

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

If I have been teaching Jalen Hurts, I’d like to get him to do that extra. I believe this offense has untapped potential outdoors of construction. I’ll at all times be course of> outcomes, and I like the method of this play name, even when it doesn’t work as designed. I choose getting receivers inside Hurts’ line of imaginative and prescient relatively 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 sport as a runner, he impacted the passing sport.

That is the good things. I might watch it over and over. 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. Nonetheless, the Eagles are literally operating a 3-level stretch play, with Devonta Smith operating a deep publish route. This play is a split-safety killer and Hurts learn the protection rotation completely and is aware of that the deep security will chunk on the Flood route, which implies that he could have a shot on the deep publish. It’s an unbelievable throw and catch. This play will go down within the Eagles’ historical past.

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

I’ve saved my rant for final. Let’s speak about 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 nearly wanted to defend him as a result of he faces a lot undeserved criticism. He isn’t good. 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 sport. In my participant evaluate of Hurts on the finish of 2023, I concluded by saying this…

I believe deciding when you’ve got 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 overwhelmed Patrick Mahomes in a shootout if James Bradberry hadn’t gotten referred to as for holding on third down. Simply ask Josh Allen how laborious 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 once I see Dak ranked a tier above Hurts. I believe on movie, you may definitely argue Dak is a greater passer through the common season and at this level of their respective careers. However it’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 most important stage of all of them. Because of this I’m not apprehensive about Hurts long-term, and I believe he performed higher this season than lots of people give him credit score for.

Ignore a few of the nonsense you learn on-line about Hurts. There would have been numerous Basic Managers watching this Tremendous Bowl and wishing they may change their present quarterback with Jalen Hurts. I’m so blissful for him and so pleased with his efficiency. He’s confronted numerous setbacks in his profession, and it’s unimaginable to recollect simply how younger he’s. There are numerous quarterbacks on this league who’re constantly 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 at liberty to remark beneath and ask any questions. In case you loved this piece, you will discover extra of my work and podcast here.