Jalen Hurts as a franchise quarterback has never really been up for debate. But being QB1 also means the microscope tightens the moment something goes sideways. This week, the Eagles’ quarterback peeled back the curtain a bit on what it feels like to shoulder all of that.

“I think it definitely does [come with the territory], and I take a lot of responsibility when things are going… I get a lot of attention when things are going well and when things are not going so well. So I never run away from holding myself accountable, and I think that’s exactly what I’ve taken the approach of doing,” Hurts said, according to Eagles’ beat reporter EJ Smith.

It’s been a choppy season in Philadelphia, and naturally, the conversations have turned toward Hurts. Over the weekend, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that frustration inside the building has specifically grown around the quarterback, particularly his hesitance against zone coverage and his reluctance to pull the trigger on tight-window throws or push the ball downfield.

When an offense is underperforming relative to its talent, the discourse always starts under center. And with a franchise quarterback, doubly so. Yes, there’s been a disconnect with his receivers. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, usually good for weekly fireworks, each sit at only three touchdown catches this deep into the season. That’s not what anyone expected.

Is Hurts leaning too heavily into doing things his way? Maybe. But regardless of the frustration on both sides, the quarterback and the team aren’t going anywhere. Hurts’ contract all but guarantees that. Trading him before June 1 would hammer the Eagles with a cap hit north of $65 million. The partnership is locked in.

A.J. Brown has voiced his irritation. Russini has echoed concerns inside the building. And Hurts himself clearly isn’t satisfied with what he’s put on tape. Whether the root of this thing is his style of play or something more layered, the starting point for any fix is still the quarterback. Jalen Hurts knows that.

“We’ve obviously got work to do and that obviously starts with me. That’s always my approach, it’s always me looking internally first in everything that we do and then in due time rising above.”

Well, the criticism does start with Hurts, but anyone watching this team knows it doesn’t end there.

Eagles’ concerning offensive struggles

Yes, the Eagles are 8–2 and sitting comfortably near the top of the NFC East. On paper, that’s where a contender should be in late November. But anyone who’s watched them week to week knows this offense doesn’t resemble the one we’ve grown accustomed to during their recent title pushes.

By almost every offensive measure, they’ve been middling. Seventeenth in points per game (23.4). Twenty-fifth in total yards (314.7). Twenty-ninth in passing (199.5). Seventeenth on the ground (115.2). The rushing numbers are buoyed almost entirely by Saquon Barkley’s work: 662 yards so far in a season where he’s had to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

Jalen Hurts didn’t sound discouraged after the latest win, though.

“When I look at this last game, I take great pride in what we do on offense. I take great pride in how we go out there and play as a team and what our flow is,” he said.

But Sunday’s flow felt more like a sputter. Against Detroit, the Eagles completed only 14 of 28 passes through the air with 124 yards. Four-point-four yards per attempt, their lowest since Week 2 against Kansas City. It never looked comfortable, never looked synced, and certainly never looked like the attack that once forced defenses into survival mode.

What is carrying this team right now is the defense. Detroit came in averaging more than 31 points per game. The Eagles held them to 9. They stonewalled five fourth-down attempts, got off the field on 10 third downs. It was Detroit’s lowest point total since a six-point outing in Baltimore last season.

And that’s the tricky part of the equation. The Eagles are winning, but not in the way they’ve built their identity over the last few years. This isn’t 2022. This isn’t last year’s stretch run. The defense can keep them in every fight, but if they want to look like a true championship outfit again, the offense has to climb out of the mud.