How Eagles’ Jalen Hurts’ calm demeanor has helped orchestrate comeback wins

PHILADELPHIA – Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts jogged on the field in overtime during Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills at Lincoln Financial Field. Hurts displayed no sense of desperation, so much so that you could not tell if the game was in overtime or if the game had just kicked off.

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Hurts showed off all aspects of his game, keeping the ball on a designed quarterback run to begin the drive while mixing in passes to wide receiver DeVonta Smith, systematically picking his spots and gaining chunks of yards. With the ball resting on the 12-yard line, Hurts called his own number again, eluding the outstretched arms of Bills defenders in his way in for the game-winning touchdown, capping off yet another comeback to help the Eagles come away with the 37-34 win and a 10-1 record.

The win against the Bills and last Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs capped off two games within a week where the quarterback has helped engineer a fourth-quarter drive that led to a come-from-behind win and his fourth of the season. It also showed how Hurts’ nonchalant demeanor has impacted the players around him, even if little had to be said by the quarterback before the drive. After the game, Hurts said the win was another example of the Eagles rising to the occasion when they were trailing.

“We just continue to find ways to win,” Hurts said. “We play together, and we have shown our resiliency day in and day out. Game in and game out, we have been challenged in a number of different ways. We always find a way, and that’s something that you can’t really take for granted. It’s hard to quantify.”

His 29-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus was another moment of Hurts being unfazed, keeping his eyes downfield and rolling to his left, firing an accurate ball while Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver was bearing down on him. Hurts, who finished the game completing 18 of his 31 passes for 200 yards and five total touchdowns (three passing and two rushing), also took accountability for the way that he played early on when his quarterback rating was 7.0 at halftime after completing four of his 11 passes for 33 yards and an interception, saying that the “standard” that he measures himself to was not achieved with his performance.

“I have had a ton to clean up, and I have not executed to the level of my standard,” Hurts said. “It seems to be enough. But in terms of the standard that I like to play to consistently, and I’d like us to play to consistently. As a team, enough is never enough, so you just want to continue to strive for more and play to that standard. But in those moments, you never want to get too high or too low. But we found a way in the end and made it happen…We were on the same page when it mattered most, and that’s all you can ask for.”

A few quarterbacks try to fire up their teammates in the huddle, trying to give some inspiration to end the drive with a score. Not Hurts. Zaccheaus said Hurts did not say anything to belabor the point, stating the quarterbacks’ expectations were already known.

“Nothing was said,” Zaccheaus said. “It was all understood. Nothing had to be said about that situation, and it was understood what we had to do.”

Running back Kenneth Gainwell said Hurts’ silence is how he usually is, but it is effective in how the team has been able to mount the comebacks.

“He really did not say much because Jalen really does not say much,” Gainwell said. You can just see it in his eyes. You really could see it in everybody’s eyes, and they were saying that we had to just go get it and get this win.”

Left tackle Jordan Mailata said Sunday was the latest example of Hurts stepping up when the moment was big. Mailata added that Hurts’ calm demeanor was just one side of his makeup and that other aspects have helped him keep calm in pressure situations but also helped the chemistry in the locker room.

“That was amazing,” Mailata said. “I have so much respect for him. Everyone says he doesn’t have a personality, but we see it. He has a personality and is a true (bleeping) leader. The way he persevered and just kept playing tonight regardless of yards, passes, it was special.”

Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota has been in his share of close games and trying to mount a comeback, saying that quarterbacks have to embrace the situation and find any way to come off the field with a win, which Hurts was able to accomplish. Mariota was also next to Hurts as they looked at the tablets and the play sheets, trying to find the cracks in the Bills defense to exploit late in the game.

“The part that makes Jalen so good is that he’s even-keeled throughout the game,” Mariota said. “Nothing gets him too high, and nothing gets him too low. We talked about different adjustments and what we saw, and he did a great job executing overtime.”

“I think you just embrace it,” Mariota said. “You’re really just trying to find a way to just get the win. It doesn’t matter what it looks like. At the end of the day, if you got a chance to win at the end, that’s all that matters, and Jalen made a couple of big-time plays to help us.”

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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.