Jalen Hurts just had a practice session that’s gonna have Eagles fans talking, and not in a good way, after throwing three interceptions against the Patriots defense on Wednesday. It was rough, plain and simple, and it immediately spotlights a shifting landscape for the Eagles offense.
Three Picks and a Whole Lot of Missing Help
Eliot Shorr-Parks from WIP didn’t mince words, dropping the stats for Hurts’ day, and man, they’re tough to swallow for any QB: 19-for-27 with zero touchdowns and those three picks, earning him a C- grade for the veteran. That’s a far cry from what you want to see. But you gotta look at the whole picture, right? Things are different for Hurts this year, for real. DeVonta Smith wasn’t even in team drills, not participating at all. And the kicker that changes *everything* about the passing game? A.J. Brown, Hurts’ top target for years, is rocking Patriots gear now. Think about that for a second. That’s a massive, massive shift for Hurts, making this specific performance against a good defense feel a lot different than it would have in years prior with his usual weapons around him.
Breaking Down the Interceptions: Bad Luck, Miscommunication, and a Big Concern
Those three interceptions weren’t all a clear-cut “Hurts messed up” situation, which offers a sliver of hope, but one definitely raises some serious eyebrows. The first one? Thrown right to Dontayvion Wicks, it bounced right off his hands, and a Patriots defender was right there to snag it before it even hit the turf. Pure bad luck, really, not Hurts’ fault at all. The second pick was a short, quick pass to Britain Covey. Shorr-Parks noted there must have been some miscommunication, because that ball went straight to a Patriots defender, who then promptly took it back for a pick-six. Ambiguous blame there, it could have been on Hurts, or Covey, or both, which leaves it a bit cloudy. But the third one, though, that’s the real gut punch. This interception seemed to be all on Hurts, no ambiguity there. It was reportedly a pass on a crossing route over the middle of the field, and the ball just flat-out sailed on him, picked off cold. Why’s that particular pick such a big deal? Because Sean Mannion’s offense is apparently going to lean heavily on Hurts hitting those middle-of-the-field passes. This is a throw he absolutely *has* to nail consistently this season for their new scheme to work.
Practice Woes vs. Game Day Reality
Look, it’s easy to get stressed over a three-interception day. But Smith and Makai Lemon are both sidelined with hamstring injuries, so Hurts wasn’t exactly at full strength support-wise on the field. More importantly, it’s crucial to remember this was just practice. It wasn’t a game. If you’re gonna mess up, if you’re gonna make mistakes and try to work out the kinks, this is absolutely the time and place for it, not when the actual chips are down. There’s still plenty of time for Hurts to tighten things up, refine those new routes, and get his chemistry dialed in for the season opener. So, Eagles fans, don’t hit the panic button just yet. It’s obviously not ideal, and nobody wants to see it, but it’s hardly the end of the world for their season outlook. They’ve still got their second preseason game against the Patriots coming up in Foxborough. Let’s see how he looks when the pads are on and the game clock is running for real.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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