Jalen Hurts is going to fumble. That’s just a fact. The way he plays as a quarterback – running around, extending plays, stepping forward to get extra yards – is bound to happen to some extent.
The problem is, there’s too much of it these days.
Hurts has fumbled in seven consecutive games, the longest streak by an NFL player since Carson Wentz had nine consecutive fumbles during the 2019-2020 season. According to Stathead’s player streak research, the longest streak dating back to the 1970s was Kerry Collins’ 11 streak in 2001.
Since becoming a full-time starter in 2021, Hurts has fumbled 26 times, ahead of Justin Fields (35), Trevor Lawrence (29) and college teammate Tua Tagovailoa (27). He is tied for fourth in the NFL after
So far this year, Hurts is tied for sixth with eight total fumbles. Josh Dobbs (14), Tagovailoa (12), Lamar Jackson (11), Desmond Ridder (10) and Zach Wilson (10) have even more records.
How big of an issue is this? When Hurts fumbles and the other team recovers? Is it like the Super Bowl touchdown or Sunday at the Cowboys’ 20-yard line in the first quarter? That’s a big problem.
Hurts has lost an NFL-high four fumbles so far this year, compared to only one lost fumble the two years before that — to Yannick Ngakoue against the Colts last year. That was when he was sacked.
“Every time we talk about the keys to winning, protecting the ball is always emphasized. Ball safety is a big thing, so you know that’s the focus,” Hurts said Thursday. Ta.
Hurts’ fumble is part of a larger problem that has plagued the Eagles all year. They have committed 19 turnovers (10 Hurts interceptions, nine total fumbles) and are minus-4 in turnover margin overall and minus-10 since Week 3.
Hurts’ 14 turnovers totaled 3.rd-Most this year behind Josh Allen (17) and Sam Howell (15).
Nick Sirianni said it’s a skill for quarterbacks to learn how to hang on to the football while falling to the ground while being tackled or sacked. That’s a skill the Eagles teach. This is a skill Hurts still needs to work on.
“We have to do a better job of protecting the football that is put on the ground,” Sirianni said. “Jalen has to go on the field and do a better job and we have to do a better job of coaching that.
“There are many different ways to simulate going on the ground. Being able to protect the football as you go to the ground is one of the most unnatural things in football, because naturally your body This is because they want to stretch out to catch themselves, and then stretch out with the arms that carry them.
“So we have to put them in those situations even more. That’s my job as a head coach. Let’s actually go out there and simulate this drill on the ground. That’s what we have to do to help the players.”
The good news is that the Eagles lost a very small percentage of Hurts’ fumbles. He has 35 fumbles, nine of which came in his rookie year, and only seven of those fumbles.
However, every time the ball comes loose, there will be balls and bodies all over the place, increasing the chances of injury.
This is the last place a quarterback wants to be.
“I try to do it again and again and try to find new ways to stretch myself and different things,” Harts said. “But at the end of the day, the goal going into any game is to protect the ball and every possession.”
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