WegENT

Jalen Hurts was having an MVP candidate season before his shoulder injury in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears.
Hurts stat line on the season after the Bears game was as follows:

(14 Games) 3,472 Pass Yards, 22 Pass Touchdowns, 5 Interceptions, 747 Rush Yards, 13 Rushing Touchdowns.
(15 Games) 3,701 Pass Yards, 22 Pass Touchdowns, 6 Interceptions, 760 Rush Yards, 13 Rushing Touchdowns.

Before missing two weeks, Hurts stat line compared to those considered top in the League. While getting to play in Week 18 against the Giants to secure the 1st seed, even Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes participated in Week 18 games that still had impacts on AFC Seeding. No starting QB in the MVP race at the end of the season had their final game off.

Prior to Hurts Week 16 & 17 absence, here is how his numbers compared with other MVP candidates before his injury, and at the end of the regular season.

 

Josh Allen:

(14 Games) 3,201 Pass Yards, 23 Pass Touchdowns, 9 Interceptions, 608 Rush Yards, 6 Rushing Touchdowns.
(17 Games) 4,283 Pass Yards, 35 Pass Touchdowns, 14 Interceptions, 762 Rush Yards, 7 Rushing Touchdowns.

Josh Allen was penciled in as the front-runner for MVP before the season even began. Having the most complete team, with high expectations for the franchise QB who signed a 6 Year, $258,034,000 contract at the end of August. With some Carson Wentzian Turnovers, and less than timely fumbles, Josh Allen’s elbow injury was the least of his worries when it came to him being the potential MVP.

Geno Smith:

(14 Games) 3,418 Pass Yards, 24 Pass Touchdowns, 7 Interceptions, 253 Rush Yards, 1 Rushing Touchdown.
(17 Games) 4,282 Pass Yards, 30 Pass Touchdowns, 11 Interceptions, 366 Rush Yards, 1 Rushing Touchdown.

Nobody knew what to expect when Geno Smith was announced the starter in Seattle, and I’m sure nobody expected them to squeak into the playoffs either. While Geno’s year might build a better case for Comeback Player of the Year, but Geno had his hyped up moments throughout the season that saw some life in the Seahawks. Even before Jalen’s injury, he lead in most stats against Geno Smith.

Tua Tagovailoa:

(12 Games) 3,238 Pass Yards, 24 Pass Touchdowns, 5 Interceptions, 70 Rush Yards, 0 Rushing Touchdowns.
(13 Games) 3,548 Pass Yards, 25 Pass Touchdowns, 8 Interceptions, 70 Rush Yards, 0 Rushing Touchdowns

Tua had a rough season. What started the Dolphins 3-0 had a promising season ahead of them. Until concussions shut down Tua for not only weeks 5 & 6 but also for weeks 17 and 18. Even during the Dolphins Week 9 win against the Bears, there was talking points of him being in the MVP conversation.

While Tua was excellent in what games he was able to start in, the Dolphins were still able to make their way into the playoffs with Teddy Bridgewater and Skyler Thompson.

 

Patrick Mahomes:

(15 Games) 4,496 Pass Yards, 35 Pass Touchdowns, 11 Interceptions, 313 Rush Yards, 3 Rushing Touchdowns.
(17 Games) 5,250 Pass Yards, 41 Pass Touchdowns, 12 Interceptions, 358 Rush Yards, 4 Rushing Touchdowns.

Who would have guessed losing Tyreek Hill wouldn’t stop Patrick Mahomes from putting up career numbers? While Jalen Hurts had a chance at chasing Mahomes stats earlier in the season, the injury wasn’t a positive for Hurts case. Mahomes was able to prove week in and week out that he’ll continue to be a problem in the league if anybody chooses to pursue the MVP trophy at the end of the year.

After the regular season ended, Mahomes was voted to 1st team All Pro by both Associated Press and Pro Football Focus. With Jalen Hurts receiving 2nd team All Pro honors from Associated Press, there was still a chance he could compete in the MVP race…

… Or maybe not.

With Mahomes receiving near unanimous voting for his All Pro nomination. That means the MVP voting is all but sealed. Perhaps we could see another unanimous MVP vote as well.

 

Jalen’s Future

Nobody knew what to expect from Jalen Hurts 2nd full season with Philadelphia. The addition of A.J. Brown took the Eagles offence to new heights, and allowed Jalen Hurts to excel throughout the season. Philly might have found their Franchise QB in the 2nd round after all. With a contract due at the end of next season, expect Jalen to be wearing green for years to come. If Year 2 brought MVP performances and a 14-1 starting record, perhaps things aren’t so bad in Philly.

 

Go Birds!

 

Photo Credit: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images

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