Eagles and Jalen Hurts answer all these questions about the passing offense – NBC Sports Philadelphia

Jalen Hurts had barely sat down and was still fidgeting in his seat as he delivered a short but meaningful opening statement.

“So you all wanted to see this, right?” Hurts said.

Well…yes.

A week after the Eagles struggled to pass the ball against the struggling Carolina Panthers, Hurts and the offense put together a standout performance through the air in their 27-13 victory over the Steelers on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles fired up the passing game and Hurts finished his afternoon completing 25 of 32 passes for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns. Both AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith passed for over 100 yards and each caught a touchdown pass.

For a team that has transitioned to playing a run-first attack during a now 10-game winning streak, it was important for the Eagles to show that when they need to pass the ball, they can still do so at a high rate level can do.

“Like I said, when you have the ability to win in a variety of ways, you’re obviously talented and the opportunities are there, it comes down to having good judgment about when to do something and when not to do something,” Hurts said . “I’ve always said and believed that you want to make sure all of your tools are sharp when you need them so that when it’s time to use them, you’re ready to go. I don’t think there is any doubt about that. I honestly think there’s an effort behind it.

“The approach was a little different this week. The grass will be green where you water it. We decided to water it and saw it as the fruit of our labor. Obviously we watered down the running game a little bit. It’s natural to put emphasis on one thing and put emphasis on another and see what you saw. We want to continue to be well-rounded, strive to be well-rounded and water all areas of our garden.”

A week ago, there was frustration in the Eagles locker room after the victory over the Panthers came up too close. In this game, the Eagles only had 83 net passing yards and looked disjointed in the passing game.

Then AJ Brown’s “temporary” comment took on a life of its own after Brandon Graham appeared on radio Monday night, setting up a week of drama.

But Brown, Hurts and Smith put on a show Sunday afternoon.

“I said it for a reason,” Brown said Sunday. “I had no bad intentions behind it. It wasn’t my job to get the ball. It was just a matter of us all being on the same page and doing our best. We know what we are capable of. Last week wasn’t our standard.”

Against the Panthers, it was clear that the Eagles weren’t on the same page with a passing attack, but they certainly were on Sunday. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore had a great game plan against a Steelers defense that the Eagles knew would sell out to stop Saquon Barkley and the running game.

How could the Eagles get to the same level in a week?

“A lot of difficult conversations,” Smith said. “Have those uncomfortable conversations with each other. I think that’s why this team is so close and that’s what makes this team so good. Everyone can have uncomfortable conversations with each other and no one will feel uncomfortable.”

In the end, the Eagles still had 42 rushing attempts, but sledding was difficult on the ground. Barkley had 19 carries for 65 yards in that game.

In this game, the Eagles had to pass to win, and they did it brilliantly.

“Everyone knows what this team is capable of,” Barkley said. “We finally showed it. I said at the beginning of the week: If a team can slow down the run, we are perfectly capable of passing. And if the teams manage to stop the pass, we are more than capable of running. That’s the beauty of our team.”

There was no doubt that the Eagles had all the ingredients for a balanced offense. They have an elite offensive line, an MVP candidate running back and two of the best receivers in the NFL. They also have a quarterback who just had his best game of the season despite a broken finger on his non-throwing hand.

On Sunday, the Eagles proved they can beat teams in different ways.

And with the playoffs approaching, that’s a big deal. This has the makings of a dangerous playoff team.

“We went through a stretch this year where we said we were going to be a running team and a play-action team,” Hurts said, “so we started watering that one and stopped watering another part.”

Well, Hurts made it rain on Sunday.

Subscribe to Eagle Eye wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | stapler | Simplecast | RSS | Watch on YouTube