With the Saints scoring 91 points going into their clash against the Eagles last weekend, no one predicted that they would only manage 12 points in New Orleans. Well, the Eagles’ defense did their work in shutting off the league’s highest-scoring offense. But also managed to handle the blitz exceptionally, courtesy of QB Jalen Hurts.

Former Eagles center Jason Kelce was one of the first people to praise the QB for his blitz-handling capability, “All in all, he’s making really good decisions, he’s leading the team, he’s more comfortable, he’s more poised. They are handling the blitz phenomenally.” Looking at Hurt’s blitz completion percentage at 72.7%, he is among the top seven QBs in the league to achieve numbers.

However, after three games into the regular season, Hurts haven’t blitzed heavily, as he recorded 31.9% on his 38 dropbacks. Despite this, former Eagle Jason Kelce has  warned the QB for his toughest test yet, on the WIP Morning Show, “This is going to be the toughest test they’ve had this season with Todd Bowles, who can come after the quarterback better than pretty much anybody.” 

Dating back to last season, when the Eagles faced the Buccaneers, Hurts got blitzed on 27 of 39 dropbacks. This allowed Bowles team to score a resounding victory 32-9 at Raymond James Stadium. Even this season, the Bucs are placed at 5th in terms of their blitz rate, which stands at 32.1%.

But the Bucs may have lost some of their flair from those blitz plays, as they only managed two sacks after three games into the season. Will Bowles’ tactics work this time around, as Hurts seems to be prepared to take on this challenge next week?

Jalen Hurts prepares to face a blitz run defense in Tampa Bay

Hurts doesn’t need any introduction to Bowles’s blitz-heavy tactics since the day he arrived in the NFL. With a record of 1-3 against them, Hurts seems confident in facing the Buccaneers, considering his improvement over the years, “I think I’m wiser, I’m older, more and more seasoned in some areas, and I think that helps. And different things I’ve learned with the new staff.”

Well, Hurts’ pass completion percentage went significantly higher, from 51.1 % in 2020 to 71.4% this season. However, the Eagles QB is equally excited about this clash as he heaped praise on Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. “Coach Todd Bowles, and what he does, he creates a lot of great opportunities for his defense and his team. And they’re a really good offense as well. We have to come and execute and play clean football versus a team like that,” Hurts shared.

Although Hurts seems to be prepared to take on the Bucs next week, does Bowles have some surprises up his sleeve? Or will the 26-year-old finally break his hoodoo against the Buccaneers? Only time will tell as we wait for next week’s clash in Tampa Bay.