How Jalen Hurts went from MVP to Eagles afterthought in 3 tragic missteps

How did Jalen Hurts go from Super Bowl MVP to being ousted in Philadelphia? Well, interestingly enough, this one doesn’t fall completely on Eagles fans and their impatient demeanor. That said, Hurts hasn’t really lived up to being that elite quarterback several teams around the NFL have found. The Eagles offense really hasn’t been dangerous outside of the soon-to-be-banned tush push. 

His biggest criticism is he’s not as good of a passing quarterback, which is why Philadelphia hasn’t had the success offensively that they would have liked. With all of Hurts’ struggles, it was these three missteps that led him down the path of an unfortunate divorce with the Eagles. 

The Eagles’ playoff collapse for the ages

It was a botched fourth down play call against the San Francisco 49ers that ended Philly’s Super Bowl defense in the wild card round. Though the ESPN story didn’t specify who made the final decision, it was ultimately Hurts’ recommendation that ended up getting chosen. In that game, he rushed for just 14 yards and had just under 170 passing yards. Depending on how you look at it, that game is either the beginning of the end or the final straw for Philadelphia to move on. 

Friction started with A.J. Brown and the frustrations he had with his involvement with the offense, but things have spiraled to the point that there’s belief Hurts won’t be back after this year. In those types of situations, the playcall is important, and Kevin Patullo leaning on both Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni was the smart move. The bad move was calling a four verticals play in that situation. But that’s the play call they made, and it ultimately hurt the team. 

In those situations, good quarterbacks not only know what to call but know to make the play. Hurts did neither, and if there’s one thing Philadelphia fans can point to as the downfall of Hurts, it’s that. 

Overreliance on the Tush Push

Philadelphia turned the Tush Push, which was supposed to be a simple, modified quarterback sneak play, into a massive controversy that has upended the NFL. Last year highlighted how much of a crutch that play was for Philadelphia’s offense. Sure, they had a new offensive coordinator, and that played a big role as well, but the larger problem for Philadelphia was the offense was bland. Hurts averaged just over 200 passing yards last season and finished with a little over 3,200 passing yards. 

For context, his season total passing yards were fourth lowest of any quarterback with at least 15 starts and his average is third fewest of quarterbacks with 15 or more starts — on Cam Ward and Bryce Young averaged fewer passing yards per game. The 2025 season was even worse when you look at just the numbers. The last two seasons were the worst of his career since he’s been the full-time starter in Philadelphia. 

I’m not going to say the Tush Push ruined this offense, but since it became the spectacle it has, Hurts has regressed as a traditional quarterback. Hurts has always been good as both a runner and a passer. The last few seasons, he’s been a below-average passer and good runner. If he doesn’t impact this offense by better passing the ball, it will ultimately be what seals his fate. 

Inability to adapt to more modern offensive schemes

According to an ESPN story about Hurts’ downfall, Hurts wasn’t really receptive to more intricate offensive schemes. Back in 2024, then offensive coordinator Kellen Moore tried to implement more motions and shifts into the offense. While Hurts was open to the idea, he reportedly would regress back to the more comfortable style he’s used to if it didn’t work. Ironically, Sean Mannion could bring a similar-style offense to Philadelphia in his first year. 

Shifts and motions have dominated football thanks to the success Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have had with it. It’s a West Coast style built around letting your playmakers do the work and simplifying the work for the quarterback. While you’d think that would be good for Hurts, apparently he hasn’t fully conformed to that idea yet.

With the struggles of Philadelphia’s offense outside of the Tush Push, you would think it would be a focus of his to add variety to this offense. Now he doesn’t necessarily have the power he used to have to make those decisions. This offense needs new life and Mannion is bringing that. It also means Hurts has to be okay with being uncomfortable if it helps this offense. He can’t get any worse than he’s been and this could be his last chance to save face in Philly. 

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