Eagles, Jalen Hurts to put improved blitz pickup to test vs. Buccaneers

Eagles, Jalen Hurts to put improved blitz pickup to test vs. Buccaneers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles’ ability to handle blitzes from opposing defenses was one of the biggest storylines entering the season and, three games in, they’ve been much better.

But there’s a big test coming Sunday.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will head down to Tampa to face the Buccaneers and Todd Bowles’ blitz-heavy defense. If there’s one thing we know about Bowles it’s that he’s not afraid to send extra rushers. He wants to heat up quarterbacks.

And the Eagles better be ready.

“We’ve worked really hard at this for the past year and we’ve done a good job so far,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “But you’re only as good as your next game.

“Excited about the challenge. I know Jalen has really played well against the blitz these last couple games, and he’s worked his butt off on it. And just excited about the challenge, but we know there’s going to be challenges against a Todd Bowles’ coached defense. Again, we have done a nice job so far, but you’re only as good as your next game.”

All you have to do is think back to the playoff game that bounced the Eagles in the wild card round in January. Bowles in that game blitzed Hurts on 27 of 39 dropbacks in the Bucs’ 32-9 win at Raymond James Stadium.

You can bet that Bowles is going to do that again on Sunday.

But is Hurts in a better place to handle it this time?

“I think I’m wiser, I’m older,” Hurts said on Wednesday. “More seasoned in some areas and I think that helps us. And the different things that I’ve learned with the new staff.”

That last part is important. Because Hurts isn’t doing this all on his own. While the Eagles obviously miss future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce, without him, more of the onus falls on Hurts. The quarterback is now responsible for a lot of the blitz pickup, along with new center Cam Jurgens. But the hope is that the offensive scheme will have more…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-jalen-hurts-put-improved-132719850.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-09-26 13:27:19

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