There have not been many instances this season of an opponent being able to slow down the Philadelphia Eagles offense. They are second in the NFL in points scored and third in yards gained, possessing one of the most explosive units in the league this season. However, there were certainly some hiccups against the Chicago Bears in Week 15.
The Bears wouldn’t be the team many would have picked as the team to give Philadelphia some issues but they came to play Sunday afternoon off of their bye week. They were able to win the game 25-20, but it was a much more difficult game than many likely predicted it would be.
A big reason for that was that the Eagles turned the ball over three times. Jalen Hurts had two interceptions while Miles Sanders fumbled the ball once. It was easily the worst game of the season for Hurts through the air.
Hurts completed only 59.5 percent of his passes but did throw for 315 yards. All but six of those yards went to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who caught nine passes for 181 yards and five passes for 126 yards, respectively.
While it was a tough passing game, Hurts more than made up for it with his performance on the ground. Hurts carried the ball a season-high tying 17 times for 61 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns.
That gives him 13 rushing scores on the season, which is only one behind Jamaal Williams for the NFL lead with 14. Since the start of last season, there hasn’t been anyone who has found paydirt running the ball as often as Hurts, who has scored 23 rushing touchdowns in that span. Unsurprisingly, that is the most in the NFL in the last two years.
Hurts became the first quarterback with back-to-back seasons of 10+ rushing touchdowns earlier this season as he is one of the most prolific scorers in the league. It is certainly nice for the Eagles coaches to know that if there are struggles with the passing game they can rely on Hurts’ legs to make plays and get the job done.
