Eagles-Jets analysis: Jalen Hurts rattles off an impressive drive in the offensive starters’ lone series

For Jalen Hurts, one series was plenty.

In the Eagles’ preseason opener against the New York Jets on Friday, the 24-year-old quarterback orchestrated an impressive touchdown drive and then swapped his helmet for a headset.

For the most part, the rest of the Eagles’ starters on both sides of the ball followed suit. A Kyzir White interception sparked a scoring drive for the second-team offense and also granted the defensive starters the rest of the night off.

Here’s our instant analysis off the Eagles’ 24-21 loss at Lincoln Financial Field.

Hurts’ revenge

Nick Sirianni couldn’t have asked for much more from Hurts in his one and only drive.

He opened the series with a 28-yard completion to Quez Watkins after extending the play by rolling out. The completion displayed the type of off-schedule playmaking ability Hurts showed last season, but it is sometimes limited in practice settings.

That improvisational ability did bite him once, though. On the sixth play of the drive, Hurts evaded pressure and dashed for the sideline. A tick or two after he got out of bounds with no gain, Jets linebacker Quincy Williams unloaded on Hurts, knocking him down with a helmet-to-helmet hit.

The play evoked a 15-yard penalty, a mob of Eagles offensive linemen crowding the Jets’ sideline, and some rage-induced shouting from Sirianni across the field.

Three plays later, Hurts found tight end Dallas Goedert for a 22-yard touchdown pass. He hit Goedert on an out-breaking route as he was closing in on a defender near the sideline, but Hurts correctly placed the pass inside to give Goedert a chance to make the play. It was the type of accuracy that is encouraging to see for Hurts as he embarks on his third year in the league.

In all, Hurts went 6-for-6 for 80 yards and the touchdown. It might be the only drive you’ll see from him until the season opener, but it just might be enough.

Kyzir’s comeuppance

The Eagles defense followed the offense’s lead with a successful opening drive earning them the rest of the night off.

The Jets’ drive lasted just five plays before White picked off second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. White and T.J. Edwards have been the Eagles preferred linebacker pairing, with Haason Reddick occupying the “SAM” linebacker spot on the line of scrimmage.

White’s interception showed why he’s often been the choice next to Edwards; the free agency addition has been a quality coverage linebacker throughout his career.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon used even fronts most of the night, switching to odd fronts on occasion when nose tackle Jordan Davis was in the game.

Wilson came out for a second series, but left with a scary non-contact knee injury after an awkward juke. The 2021 second-overall pick walked off on his own power, but multiple Jets players seemed shaken up while trainers tended to him.

Dawg disruption

Davis didn’t take long to show what kind of impact he could have on the Eagles’ pass rush this season.

The team’s first-round pick out of Georgia had a handful of impressive snaps both as a run stuffer and a pass rusher. The 6-foot-7, 340-pound defensive tackle commanded plenty of attention from the Jets’ offensive line and managed to shed both blockers on a few occasions. After blowing up a double team against the pass in the first quarter, Davis showed how he can transition from power to speed as he closed on a scrambling Wilson.

The former Georgia standout won’t show up on the stat sheet, but it’s safe to say his stock has risen even higher after his first preseason action. Speaking of Georgia standouts, Nakobe Dean had himself a nice game after a relatively quiet camp.

He logged five tackles and blew up a couple of run plays, sometimes with the assistance of Davis to prove the former Georgia teammates still work well together. Dean hasn’t made many splashy plays in practice, but he represented himself well when the lights were on.

Reading Reagor’s rest

There’s often some valuable information to glean from which players are still in uniform coming out of halftime and which ones have shed their shoulder pads and helmet in favor of a baseball cap.

There’s the obvious guys: Hurts, A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, etc. Then there’s the ones that might surprise you a bit.

Friday didn’t offer many surprises, but it’s worth noting Jalen Reagor was among the receivers given the second half off. Zach Pascal also spent the second half sans pads. Getting part of the night off isn’t everything, but it is an interesting development for Reagor, who had three catches for 26 yards in the first half.

Injuries

Left guard Landon Dickerson was held out of the game with foot soreness. He participated in practice Wednesday but ceded reps to Sua Opeta midway through the session. The indication is that he’s not expected to miss significant time. Javon Hargrave was also held out Friday and is considered day-to-day with a toe injury.

Left tackles Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard both got playing time after being limited on Wednesday with concussions sustained last week.

Birdseed

The Eagles announced defensive ends Trent Cole and Hugh Douglas as the newest members of the team’s Hall of Fame. They’re scheduled to be inducted Nov. 27.