National Football League

Jalen Hurts’ mobility, clutch factor a reminder why Eagles are so dangerous

Updated Nov. 20, 2022 7:03 p.m. ET

No one is going to confuse Jalen Hurts for Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray or Justin Fields at the quarterback position. He doesn’t have the same speed, elusiveness or dynamic rushing ability as those guys. But he is a mobile quarterback; one that can use his athleticism, savvy and powerful running style to find success on the ground.

On Sunday, that facet of his game helped him lead an Eagles team under duress — and offered the latest sign that he can be QB1 for a championship team.

After a stunning loss to the Commanders last week, Hurts put the Eagles (9-1) on his back in a 17-16 road victory over the Colts (4-6-1) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Philadelphia overcame a 10-point deficit early in the second half to win.

Hurt led an 11-play, 75-yard drive that put Philadelphia up with 1:20 left. The Colts got the ball back with a timeout remaining, but the Eagles' defense forced a turnover on downs to end the game.

It gave Hurts his first fourth-quarter comeback and second game-winning drive of the season.

"You take it anyway you can get it in this league, especially on the road," coach Nick Sirianni said. "We clawed. We scratched. We fought. And we kept going."

To understand that game-clinching series, you must start with Hurts' legs.

He used them for the seven-yard run that won the game. He dropped back to pass, only to quickly hit the hole up the middle that opened like Moses parting the Red Sea. It was a designed play; most of the Eagles pass catchers didn't even turn to the ball after it was snapped.

It was also Hurts' legs that kept points possible earlier in the drive. On fourth-and-2 from the Colts' 9, Hurts ran a keeper — subtly bounced to his left, with no room up the gut, and picked up the first down on the edge.

Hurts' best run of the game? Early in the fourth quarter.

With the Eagles' desperate for points, trailing 13-3 and facing a first-and-10 from the Colts' 45, Hurt had a magnificent 23-yard scramble: he rolled to his right with Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner on his tail off the edge, cut back into the middle with defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo on the other side, and spun out of a would-be tackle from linebacker Zaire Franklin downfield before getting tackled just outside of the red zone.

Hurts' efforts led to Philadelphia's first touchdown of the game: a 22-yard Hurts strike to wide receiver Quez Watkins (two receptions, 31 yards).

In the win, the third-year quarterback rushed 16 times for 86 yards and a touchdown on 5.4 yards per carry, a season high.

"He's a competitor," Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, who had the game-sealing sack, said of Hurts.

The touchdown pass aside, Hurts had just 190 passing yards. Star receiver A.J. Brown (five receptions, 60 yards) had a costly fourth-quarter fumble that led to a Colts' field goal. Philadelphia had at least two giveaways for a second straight week.

The 17 points Sunday marked a season-low for the Eagles, a top-three in scoring entering the game. They had three points through three quarters. They were far from the dynamic offense we've seen for most of the season. They were losing a battle to a team on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

But on a short week in late November, in an ugly game when it was tough sledding offensively, the Eagles were able to depend on Hurts. Especially his legs.

It was a reminder of how his mobility makes Philadelphia all the more dangerous.

"That's no one individual doing that, however it may look," Hurts said of the win. "That's all of us doing it together. That's the belief we have in one another. The trust we have in one another."

What the NFL world should trust? That this Eagles team will prove their worth as a legitimate Super Bowl contender down the stretch. Not just because of their defense or offensive playmakers. But because of Hurts, too.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.