Through the first three weeks of the 2022 NFL season, there have been a lot of surprises. One of the bigger surprises has been just how good the Philadelphia Eagles have looked through three games. A big reason for their success early on is because of their young quarterback Jalen Hurts.
After two fairly inconsistent seasons to start his career, Hurts was given everything he needed to be successful this season. He's turned it into a 3-0 start for the Eagles in which they have throttled their opponents early and often. The scary thing is that the Eagles haven't really needed to try their hardest on offense throughout a full game three weeks into the season.
Considering how good Hurts has the Eagles looking early on this season, and the fact that he likely hasn't hit his ceiling, he's a clear cut MVP candidate early on in the season. Let's take a look at three reasons why that is the case in the aftermath of his standout Week 3 performance against the Washington Commanders.
3. Jalen Hurts is a dynamic threat on the ground for the Eagles
Dual-threat quarterbacks are all the jazz in the NFL nowadays, and Hurts has quietly emerged as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the game recently. Hurts wasn't overly effective as a passer in 2021, but he made up for it with some very strong rushing numbers (139 CAR, 784 YDS, 10 TD). Even without strong passing totals, Hurts was a threat on offense for Philly.
That has carried over into the 2022 season, where Hurts has continued to make himself known as a strong runner (37 CAR, 167 YDS, 3 TD). His yards per carry are down from last season, but that's what happens when you are taking a knee to end games more than you were last season.
Hurts ability to make an impact as both a rusher and passer isn't something that every quarterback can offer. That adds to his value exponentially right off the bat, which is very important considering the MVP award in the NFL almost always goes to the best quarterback in the league. Considering all that Hurts does on the ground, it's hard to argue that he isn't one of the most valuable players in the league right now.
2. Jalen Hurts has improved as a passer
As previously noted, the main knock against Hurts coming into this season was that he wasn't a very strong passer. While he made up for it with his skills as a runner, it was clear that Hurts' passing numbers from last season (265/432, 3144 YDS, 16 TD, 9 INT) were going to need to improve if he wanted to take the next forward in his development.
Early on in 2022, Hurts has taken that step forward. The addition of A.J. Brown at wide receiver certainly has helped open things up, and when you consider that Hurts still has targets such as DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Miles Sanders to throw to alongside Brown, it's not hard to see why he's improved this season.
Through three games, Hurts has been nearly unstoppable under center (66/98, 916 YDS, 4 TD, 1 INT). He's formed strong relationships with Brown and Smith that has led to big games for the Eagles top wideout tandem, and it only seems like Philadelphia is cracking the surface of what they can do with their offense. Hurts needed to improve as a passer this season, and so far, he has clearly done just that.
1. Jalen Hurts hasn't even hit his ceiling yet
It's clear Hurts has been exceptional to start the season, but it feels like we haven't even seen him hit his ceiling yet this season. What I mean by that is Hurts has really only had to play well early on in games for the Eagles this season, partly because they have been blowing their opponents out of the water. Against better competition, Hurts will be asked to do more than he's already doing.
Consider that in the past two weeks against the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders that Hurts and the Eagles offense have done pretty much all of their work in the first half. That's because they build up big leads early, and their defense does the rest. Philly has largely been content to just run the game out in the second half, and while it's proven to be a good winning formula, it's limited Hurts' ceiling.
Tougher games are on the horizon for Philadelphia, and it will be interesting to see how Hurts fares in these contests. Hurts has been superb so far, but it feels like he can play even better than he has to start the season. Hurts has made it clear he's an MVP candidate early on in the season, and if he is actually required to play during the second half this season, he will have a great shot at walking away with an MVP award.
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