Jalen Hurts didn’t put together a spotless opener, but he did more than enough in the Eagles’ 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders to quiet the old doubts.
The Philadelphia quarterback finished 14-of-25 for 203 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers, and he added 46 rushing yards on seven carries. None of those runs were the Tush Push.
The Eagles’ offense still had issues after halftime, when the drive-stalling problems and too many three-and-outs showed up again. That part of the story isn’t going away. But Hurts’ performance gave a much louder answer to the bigger question: whether he can handle the position at a high level.
One stat from Pro Football Focus put that in sharp focus. In Week 1, Hurts led the NFL in “Most Big Time Throws without a Turnover Worthy Play,” finishing with three. PFF defines a big-time throw as a “pass with exceptional difficulty and high offensive value.”
Most Big Time Throws without a Turnover Worthy Play in Week One
Jalen Hurts 3
Aaron Rodgers 2
Geno Smith 2
Jared Goff 1
Jayden Daniels 1 pic.twitter.com/Mf8DR0Bcwt
- PFF (@PFF) September 16, 2026
PFF also handed Hurts a 79.7 overall grade, which ranked eighth among 32 quarterbacks. His passing grade came in at 75.6, good for 10th at the position, and his 71.6 rushing grade ranked seventh among 23 qualified quarterbacks.
The tape backed up the numbers. All three touchdown passes stood out, and the first one to Dallas Goedert was the cleanest example of Hurts fitting a throw into tight coverage. He also hit a 64-yard deep ball to Dontayvion Wicks and connected with DeVonta Smith on a 31-yard completion that was placed beautifully.
Hurts had to deal with plenty of heat, too. The Eagles’ interior line had trouble keeping the pocket clean, and he was sacked three times. More often than not, he was throwing with defenders in his face or escaping to create something with his legs.
That’s why the win felt so tied to his play. The Eagles are still a work in progress and there’s plenty to clean up, but Hurts wasn’t the issue. He was the reason they walked out with a victory that at times looked ready to slip away.
And for at least one week, the noise around him has changed. The talk about whether he can adapt, or whether he can even play quarterback, has faded the way Hurts would want it to.
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