Eagles QB Jalen Hurts had already been missing TE Dallas Goedert (MCL sprain) and then lost WR DeVonta Smith for Sunday's game against the Rams. That obviously set him up for difficult passing situations. But Hurts' final line in the loss still came out strange. He threw for just 93 yards on 12-of-27 passing (44.4%). That marked the lowest yardage output and worst completion rate of Hurts' career for any game he has started and finished.
Brutal Offensive Day Got Worse as it Progressed
Hurts went 10-of-18 passing for just 83 yards in the first half, though he did find WR Darius Cooper for a pair of TD passes within that span. The Eagles managed only 100 net yards before the break.
That dropped to 72 yards after halftime, with Hurts going just 2-of-9 for 10 more yards.
He has now thrown for 203 yards or less in three of four games, including totals of 153 and 93 the past two outings.
Smith's return will help some, but Hurts' yards per pass attempt have also decreased each week:
- 8.1 vs. Washington
- 7.1 at Tennessee
- 6.1 at Chicago
- 3.4 vs. L.A.
The new offensive scheme under first-time OC Sean Mannion was bound to take some early work, but the sluggish start has reached worrisome for everyone involved.
The Eagles rank 29th in offensive success rate, according to Sumer Sports, measured by the percentage of plays that produce more than 0 expected points added (38.6%).
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: QB and Offense Hurting Each Other
Hurts now sits just 16th among QBs in fantasy points per game for the season.
He's tied for a decent ninth in TD passes (7) but ranks 24th in passing yards (713) on the 21st-most pass attempts.
The rushing production has been better:
- eighth among QBs in yards
- fourth in carries
- tied for fourth with 1 rushing TD
That's not really by design, though. Hurts has seen 52.4% of his rushes come via scramble so far, the highest rate of his career by a large margin.
His two highest full-season scramble shares to date have been:
- 39.1% as a 2020 rookie who started just four games
- and last year's 36.4%
O-line issues have likely helped boost that number, but a struggling Eagles offense could probably use some more designed Hurts runs.
Perhaps the hamstring injury that knocked Saquon Barkley out early in Sunday's first quarter will spur more volume in that area.
Tough Week Makes Exacerbates Ugly Situation
Hurts simply isn't an every-week starter in his current offensive environment. That's especially true for a Week 5 visit to Jacksonville, which entered Sunday as the No. 2 defense in DVOA, ranking top-5 against both the run and pass.
Home dates with the Panthers and Cowboys look more inviting on the other side of that. But we'll need to minimally get Smith back healthy and then see significant offensive improvement before Hurts can return to his usual fantasy status.
