Philadelphia Eagles

Answering the Call

Updated Dec. 14, 2020 5:00 p.m. ET

It's official.

In his first career start for the Philadelphia Eagles, rookie Jalen Hurts showed his worth for the City of Brotherly love in a 24-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Hurts did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 106 yards on 18 carries, becoming the first Philly quarterback to reach triple digits rushing since Michael Vick in 2010.

Hurts added 167 passing yards and one touchdown, but he was careful with the football, possibly on purpose, considering the Eagles' former starter, Carson Wentz, led the league in interceptions (15) before Hurts took over.

Hurts also wasn't sacked once, and Wentz led the league in times sacked (50).

Making Hurts' performance even more impressive was the fact that he pulled it off against the league's top-ranked defense entering Sunday.

Pundits spent most of Monday morning raving about Hurts, including Skip Bayless, who believes that the Eagles have new life with Hurts at the helm.

"He changed everything for the Philadelphia Eagles."

Hurts ignited the Philly offense, and the Eagles scored 17 points in the first half after totaling a mere 12 points in the first halves of their previous four games.

With Hurts posing as a dual-threat for the Eagles at QB, starting running back Miles Sanders saw a wealth of open lanes and finished the day with 115 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries against the Saints.

It was just his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season, as well as his second two-touchdown day in 2020.

And according to ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, because Hurts was the difference-maker for the Eagles across the board, there could be a conversation to be had regarding Wentz's future in Philly if Hurts can keep this up.

"The more Jalen Hurts plays, and plays better, and wins football games, the question of, 'Can we trade Carson Wentz?' becomes more realistic ... [Sunday] was great for Jalen Hurts. It was incredibly concerning for me when it comes to Carson Wentz."

However, not everyone is convinced Hurts is the solution for the Eagles, including Colin Cowherd, who wants the football world to take a chill pill before crowning Hurts as the savior in Philadelphia.

"Unique works ... It just rarely lasts."

There are three games left in the season, and after upsetting New Orleans, the Eagles still have a shot at winning the wide-open NFC East (4-8-1).

The City of Brotherly Love has the third-best odds to win the NFC East title (+600), according to FOX Bet.

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