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“I have come to a decision and I am going to go with Jalen Hurts this week against New Orleans. I looked at the whole thing and decided that for this week to look for that spark again to try to get the team over the hump.” – Coach Pederson
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 8, 2020
Expect the New Orleans Saints defense to study a lot of Oklahoma and Alabama game tape this week. Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson didn’t take long to change his mind on his starting quarterback situation, naming rookie backup Jalen Hurts the new starter less than a day after being reluctant to do so publicly. ESPN reported the news Tuesday afternoon, which the Eagles made official.
It’s a very different approach from the one Sean Payton chose after Drew Brees landed on injured reserve, waiting a week to reveal whether Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston would be receiving the promotion.
Hurts got his first real NFL minutes during Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, replacing the struggling Carson Wentz in the second half of a 30-16 defeat. He’s appeared here and there throughout the 2020 season as a Taysom Hill copycat with his own package of plays, but his first career start should do a better job of showing off what he can do.
He has his work cut out for him against a Saints defense playing as well as any other unit in the NFL right now. New Orleans has gone on a tear in recent weeks, bullying opponents ranging from Tom Brady and Matt Ryan to Nick Mullens and Denver Broncos emergency passer Kendall Hinton. The Saints defenders have come up with 13 takeaways and 17 sacks while limiting teams to just 8.8 points per game over the last five weeks.
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