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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff WriterOct 27, 2024, 05:58 PM ET
- Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010. You can follow him on Twitter @Tim_McManus.
CINCINNATI — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts finally got the better of Joe Burrow, posting four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) in a 37-17 road win over the Bengals on Sunday.
Asked if he drew any satisfaction from outdueling Burrow, who is considered one of the best quarterbacks in football, Hurts responded: “That’s the league. I have standards for myself as well.”
Hurts has played the role of runner-up to Burrow on previous occasions. Burrow won the Heisman Trophy in 2019 while Hurts came in second. The one time they played each other during their college careers, Burrow’s LSU Tigers stomped Hurts’ Oklahoma Sooners 63-28 in the 2019 College Football Playoff semifinals.
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Their first meeting in the pros on Sunday went in favor of Hurts, who went 16-of-20 for 236 yards (132.5 QB rating) and added 10 rushes for 37 yards on the ground. Burrow finished 26-of-37 for 237 yards (84.7 rating) with a touchdown and an interception and had three rushes for 15 yards.
Hurts has played more efficient football since the Eagles’ Week 5 bye. He had seven turnovers in Philadelphia’s first four games — the second most in the league at that point behind only Will Levis — but has zero giveaways in their past three games, all wins.
“Jalen puts the work in,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “That’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough for Jalen Hurts: how much he loves football and how much time he puts into this game. And that’s how you want one of your leaders on your team to be.”
This was Hurts’ third career game with three rushing touchdowns, which is the most by any quarterback since the start of 1950, per ESPN Research. It was his 14th career game with multiple rushing TDs, extending his record for the most by a quarterback in NFL history.
The Eagles have been leaning on Saquon Barkley (22 carries, 108 yards) and the ground attack more in recent weeks, which has made the job easier for Hurts and the defense alike.
Hurts called Sunday’s victory a “great team win” and believes the offense is trending in a positive direction.
“I don’t think we’re there yet. We’re slowly finding it and trying to piece things together,” he said. “Ultimately it comes down to cadence and rhythm and how we play, and in the end, optimizing all of the talent that we have.”
