Switching to Jalen Hurts sooner could have kept Eagles in playoff hunt

The Eagles made the switch to Jalen Hurts but should have done it sooner.

The Philadelphia Eagles gave Carson Wentz every last chance to keep his job as the starting quarterback, but after no improvements were made, they finally made the decision to see what Jalen Hurts could do. The result, so far, has been overwhelmingly positive as Hurts has gone 1-1 as a starter while throwing for 505 yards and four touchdowns in addition to rushing for 169 yards and a touchdown.

Simply put, Hurts has been prolific as the quarterback for the Eagles and has given the team a much-needed spark. At this point, the Eagles are in last place in the dumpster fire division that is the NFC East but they’re not out of the playoff race just yet.

If the Eagles win out, Washington loses out, and the Giants lose one more game, Philly would win the NFC East and host a playoff game. Had the Eagles made the switch from Wentz to Hurts sooner, perhaps Philly could have been in a much better position as far as the NFL Playoffs go.

Jalen Hurts could have had this Eagles team in first place in the NFC East.

The three games that Wentz started and finished prior to his benching were all winnable games for the Eagles. Here were the results of those three matchups:

• Week 10 vs Giants – Lost 27-17
• Week 11 vs Browns – Lost 22-17
• Week 12 vs Seahawks – Lost 23-17

Oddly enough, Philadelphia scored 17 points in all three of those losses, but the fact of the matter is that Wentz held his team back in every single one of those games. Had Hurts been the starter, maybe the Eagles won all three matchups or maybe they go 2-1. That’d have done wonders for their playoff seeding right now.

The Eagles lost several winnable games because Wentz couldn’t get it done as the quarterback. Philadelphia obviously spent a lot of money on their former No. 2 overall pick and he’s done a lot for the organization during his tenure, which is likely why they gave him every last chance to prove himself.

Unfortunately, not pulling him sooner likely cost them a trip to the playoffs this season, but at least they know they have something with Jalen Hurts moving forward. That will likely be their biggest victory to come from this season.