For a good part of the Eagles’ 34-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys On Sunday it would have been difficult to imagine Jalen hurts‘Final stat line against pressure.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles quarterback was 7-for-9 when facing pressure and threw for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Considering he was sacked five times in the first half as the Eagles’ offense went through a period of disjointed production, the final numbers show the quarterback’s emphatic response at the end of the first half.

” READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts thrived, even under constant pressure from Cowboys

To see how Hurts recovered from those early struggles, let’s watch the movie.

Bags mainly in Hurts

Of the five sacks, there is a mix of those that fall primarily on Hurts, those that can be attributed to protection lapses or play calling, and those that fall somewhere in between.

The easiest was the Cowboys’ first sack on the Eagles’ opening drive. Facing first and 10 after breaking into Dallas territory, Hurts rejected a breaking route to By Vonta Smith a few meters from the posts despite the space Smith had from the nearest defender. Unable to step forward in the pocket after moving away from Smith, Hurts took a 5-yard sack that’s fair to put on his shoulders.

Take note of Hurts’ feet on the play. He’s in a good position to throw to Smith (more on that later) and is aiming toward the receiver, so it’s unclear why he didn’t feel comfortable targeting him with the inside pressure starting to pressure him.

The initial sack, followed by another sack two plays later, led to some erratic moments by Hurts and the offense for most of the first half.

There were plays where Hurts’ eyes seemed to drop to assess the pressure instead of looking for options down the field, which is a cardinal sin for quarterbacks. As understandable as it may be for Hurts to anticipate the rush considering he faced pressure on about half of his dropbacks, the third sack of the game helps illustrate why anticipating the rush early can be costly.

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Facing second-and-9 at midfield, Hurts appears to read the short side of the field before quickly retreating toward AJ Brown and Smith working on the opposite side. Brown gains some separation from Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs on a deep route, but Hurts feels the initial pressure coming from the inside and squares his feet to the line of scrimmage just as Brown comes out of his break. The film, and the benefit of hindsight, shows Cam Jurgens He was still busy blocking despite being pushed into the pocket, but Hurts looked down, leading him to try to improvise in a crowded space and take an 8-yard sack anyway.

Hurts’ habit of squaring up to the line of scrimmage (and thus moving out of an effective throwing position) happened on the next play. The Eagles were facing third-and-17 and called a concept with multiple options, both on routes underneath and closer to the first down sticks.

Instead of letting downfield routes develop with a relatively clean pocket, or finding open tight end Grant Calcaterra in the flat, Hurts once again anticipated the rush and attempted to navigate the pocket as a running back instead of keeping his eyes open. down field.

Somewhere in the middle

When evaluating the pressure Hurts faced for most of the game, it’s fair to note how often the Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called pass plays that required routes to develop downfield even in neutral situations.

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The best example came on the play that ended with Hurts fumbling deep in Eagles territory with the team facing second-and-9 late in the first half. Hurts’ ball security certainly needs to be better with Dallas running back Micah Parsons turning inside on a spin trick, but there aren’t many good options for him when he gets to the top of his drop, as most receiving options were on vertical routes. .

Hurts is also largely innocent of the game’s second sack, in which Kenny Gainwell was beaten by Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in the A-gap after Dallas called a fake pressure, sending the linebacker to press to the passer.

Efficiency under pressure

However, after a shaky start, Hurts stabilized and handled the pressure noticeably better throughout the game. In an emphatic response, he completed five of six passes in the final two minutes of the first half and led the Eagles on a scoring drive, quickly resolving some of the things he struggled with earlier in the game.

” READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts played unevenly, but his toughness is what mattered against the Cowboys

Operating from a pocket noticeably more chaotic than some of the pressure that attempted to flee early in the fourth, Hurts found Brown on an inbound route to convert on a pivotal third-and-5 at midfield. The Cowboys sent an overload blitz and Hurts responded by working in the pocket and away from pressure while keeping his eyes downfield with a wide base to hit Brown.

His best moment of the game came a few plays later, when he recognized Overshown attacking from deep and attacking him freely. It’s fair to acknowledge that Hurts gets his feet on the line of scrimmage once again on the play, dodging the rookie linebacker, breaking the pocket and finding the tight end. Dallas Goedert in the end zone to give the Eagles a lead heading into halftime.

It’s a play that shows the advantages of Hurts’ pocket management style and what he’s capable of when it goes right, and also one that set him on the path to another efficient performance.