Jalen Hurts didn’t finish the last Eagles matchup against the Commanders, so Joe Whitt’s comments on Thursday carried even more weight ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship game.
Hurts is one of the best running quarterbacks in NFL history. Washington’s defensive coordinator essentially warned Philadelphia’s star quarterback that there would be consequences and physical repercussions if he became a runner.
“If he is going to run the ball…we are going to treat him like a running back. We’re going to hit him that way. That’s their decision if they want to get him hit”
— Commanders DC Joe Whitt on how WSH defends mobile QBs
Sounds like they plan to be physical with Hurts on Sunday pic.twitter.com/pKdVf6BGpi
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 23, 2025
Hurts ranked among the top 8 in the league in yards per attempt (4th, 8.0), passer rating (5th, career-high 103.7), completion percentage (8th, career-high 68.7%) and total TDs (8th, 32) in the regular season.
In addition, Hurts tied for the 5th-most rushing TDs (14) in the league (1st among QBs). He is the first NFL player to rush for 13+ TDs in three straight years since LaDainian Tomlinson (six, 2002-07).
Whitt’s talk of physical play sounds good on paper, but he must remember that physicality can have both sides. Jalen Carter will lead the charge when bringing the pain to Washington rookie Jayden Daniels.
