NFL analyst makes foolish claim about Jalen Hurts' ability ahead of Super Bowl LVII
Quarterback Jalen Hurts hasn't exactly racked up huge passing yard totals in the NFL playoffs. With the way the Philadelphia Eagles have been running the ball, he hasn't needed to. But that doesn't stop Fox Sports' lead NFL analyst Greg Olsen from claiming that to beat the Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs need to force […]
Quarterback Jalen Hurts hasn't exactly racked up huge passing yard totals in the NFL playoffs.
With the way the Philadelphia Eagles have been running the ball, he hasn't needed to. But that doesn't stop Fox Sports' lead NFL analyst Greg Olsen from claiming that to beat the Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs need to force Hurts to throw the ball deep.
"If you're Kansas City and you're Spags, you want to find out," Olsen said. "I know the kid can do it. He's an MVP candidate for a reason. He's a fantastic player. Is it a product of the injury that they're not [throwing it as much]? Or is it because they're blowing everybody out so they're not asking him to do it? I think on Super Bowl Sunday, if I'm Spags, I'm putting an eighth guy in the box and say, ‘Go ahead Jalen Hurts, beat me.’"
The rationale for Olsen's claim is that Hurts hasn't thrown the ball well deep since returning from his shoulder injury. He does have a point.
However, the Eagles haven't been in positions where Hurts would need to throw them back into games during the playoffs. His team has been so dominant, Hurts hasn't needed to be his MVP version of himself — he's just had to be good enough.
What is holding Jalen Hurts back
Olsen believes that one explanation for the poor throwing numbers is the shoulder injury Hurts sustained near the end of the regular season. But he also admitted he doesn't know if it is more circumstance than injury holding Hurts back.
"They haven't done it in a high volume. They haven't been in that kind of shootout," Olsen said. "Their path here to the Super Bowl has been relatively light, right? They beat up on New York – in the second half they just get into a handoff, run game. And then we all know what happened in the NFC Championship Game where they didn't really need to operate in the second half because San Francisco couldn't attempt a forward pass.
"So, in the path to getting here, as far as Jalen Hurts being forced to play quarterback, being forced to play in the pocket, [hasn 't been answered]. I don't think is a knock on Jalen, because we saw at times this year when they had to go score 30, they could. He can do it. He just hasn't done it since the injury happened, so I think there is a bit of an unknown."
Whether it has been because of injury or scheme, Hurts hasn't showcased his arm talent in the playoffs. Olsen thinks that may limit the Eagles' offense. And that is why he believes Kansas City forcing Hurts to throw the ball is a recipe for success. Little does he know, however, that Hurts throwing the ball well will just make the Eagles' offense nearly unstoppable.
All bets are off come Sunday.
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Feature image via Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
