The Philadelphia Eagles escaped with a sloppy yet impressive victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
Following the victory, many were fixated on the disappointing play of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in São Paulo, Brazil.
While Hurts certainly struggled against the Packers, he wasn’t the only top quarterback to play poorly in Week 1.
As such, it’s time to take a look at how Hurts’ performance stacked up against the other top quarterbacks to kick off the regular season.
How Jalen Hurts, Other Top QBs Performed in Week 1
After the Dallas Cowboys agreed to a massive contract extension with Dak Prescott, Hurts has once again moved down the highest-paid quarterback list.
With an AAV of $51 million, Hurts is now the ninth highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
Here are the eight quarterbacks currently ranked ahead of Hurts in AAV:
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys | AAV: $60 million
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals | AAV: $55 million
- Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers | AAV: $55 million
- Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars | AAV: $55 million
- Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins | AAV: $53.1 million
- Jared Goff, Detroit Lions | AAV: $53 million
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers | AAV: $52.5 million
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens | AAV: $52 million
Only four of those eight quarterbacks won in Week 1 and only one of those quarterbacks threw for more passing yards than Hurts did against the Packers. Hurts threw for 278 yards, while Tagovailoa threw for a Week 1-leading 338 yards.
While Hurts currently leads the NFL with three total turnovers, he is one of just eight quarterbacks who had two passing touchdowns in Week 1. Despite his struggles against the Packers, Hurts is fifth in passing yards and tied for third in passing touchdowns.
It’s worth noting how Prescott, who is now the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, compared to Hurts in Week 1.
Prescott completed 59.4% of his passes for just 179 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. Hurts completed 58.8% of his passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Obviously, Philadelphia’s quarterback needs to clean up his turnover issues, but his Week 1 performance doesn’t look nearly as terrible when stacked up against the other top QBs in the NFL.
Burrow is widely viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, yet he struggled mightily against the New England Patriots in Week 1. Despite star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase suiting up and playing at home, Burrow threw for just 164 yards on 5.7 yards per attempt.
Lawrence signed a massive contract extension with the Jaguars this offseason, yet he failed to impress in Week 1. The 24-year-old QB completed just 57.1% of his passes for 162 yards in a loss to Miami.
It’s easy to see that Hurts wasn’t the only top QB to struggle in Week 1. And while Hurts’ overall performance was overshadowed by three embarrassing turnovers, there were a few promising signs in his first game with new Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Hurts Improving Under Kellen Moore
Following an embarrassing end to last season, the Eagles knew it was time for change. Philadelphia’s offense became stale and predictable, which is why the Eagles replaced former offensive coordinator Brian Johnson with Moore.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni surrendered full control of the team’s offense to Moore. This was immediately evident in Week 1, as the Eagles utilized pre-snap motion at a significantly higher rate than last season.
The Eagles utilized pre-snap motion on just 35% of offensive plays in 2023, the lowest mark in the NFL.
In Moore’s first game as Philly’s offensive coordinator, the Eagles utilized pre-snap motion on 66% of plays, the team’s highest mark since 2020.
Hurts thrived when the Eagles used pre-snap motion against the Packers, completing 15 of his 21 passing attempts for 212 yards and two touchdowns on those plays.
On plays without pre-snap motion, Hurts completed just five of his 13 passing attempts for 66 yards and two interceptions.
The #Eagles first TD of the season comes on a beautifully designed pass play from Jalen Hurts to Saquon Barkley
Here's how the play worked. The design and execution here are outstanding. pic.twitter.com/XrZlLlI19c
— Fran Duffy (@FDuffyNFL) September 8, 2024
Another area where Moore’s offensive scheme is already helping Hurts is against the blitz.
According to TruMedia, Hurts completed just 61.5% of his passes for six touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a passer rating of 75.2 against the blitz in 2023.
In his first game with Moore as OC, Hurts took a massive step forward against the added pressure. In Week 1, Hurts completed 75% of his passes for one touchdown with a passer rating of 151.6 against the blitz.
Hurts had the third-highest passer rating against the blitz among all QBs in Week 1, trailing only Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield. His 11.4 yards per attempt against the blitz was the second-highest YPA among all QBs in Week 1, trailing only Goff.
While it’s easy to focus on Hurts’ high turnover rate in Week 1, he clearly wasn’t the only top quarterback who struggled to start the season.
Now, it’s up to Hurts and Moore to limit the turnovers while continuing to build on the success he had against the blitz and while utilizing pre-snap motion.