What does it take for a quarterback to revive his young career? To put it bluntly – win and with style. Following the first three weeks of the NFL season, two quarterbacks have done it in a fashion no one could have expected. No, I am not talking about Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. I am talking about the arrival of the new bloods – Hurts and Tua. Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa dominance these past three weeks have put them into the stratosphere of up and coming quarterbacks in the league. A conversation during the off-season no one expected to happen; in fact, both QBs were on Bryce Young watch.
Jalen Hurts: The Rise of the Quarterback MonSTAR
During his first three starts, Hurts has been effective racking up nearly a thousand yards and four scores through the air and over one-hundred and fifty yards and three scores on the ground. Furthermore, following week three, the PFF grade ranked him as the top passing QB in the league beating out two QBs mentioned earlier in this blog, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
Throughout the offseason, the accuracy and arm strength/talent concerns seemed to plague the Hurts camp, yet he took those comments in stride and is making everyone that doubted him eat crow. Not only is he pushing the ball down the field, but Hurts is dicing up the competition on the ground. His running style has been more calculated and decisive this year. Combined with his effective passing, and the Eagles have an offense which is difficult to hold down for long.
Without a doubt, Jalen is the definition of a power dual threat quarterback. After all, the man is well known for his strength and ability to squat a bear. However, he does not have to do everything alone. The addition of AJ Brown in the offseason, emergence of the “Slim Reaper” Devonta Smith, and “Mr. Security Blanket” Dallas Geodert have lessened the load on Hurts’ shoulders. Looking across the board, Jalen Hurts is a becoming a monSTAR on the field before our very eyes.
Tua Tagovailoa: The Quarterback Promised
Before the 2020 NFL draft, Tua Tagovailoa was touted as a potential savior of a franchise . In fact, the favorite saying was “tank for Tua.”. During his first two season, Tua left much to be desired by a budding franchise quarterback, and he was actively shopped and almost replaced a handful of times, yet Tua did not steer away from the storm – he went head first into it. A characteristic which should be admired by a young quarterback.
Flash forward, following week three of the NFL season, Tua seems to have finally quieted critics with a four-hundred and sixty-nine yard and six touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens in week two. Followed up by a gritty win against the highly touted Buffalo Bills in week three. Like it or not, Tua is coming into his own in the NFL. If he can find a way to stay healthy then the sky is the limit for this young quarterback.
Two concerns coming into this season were Tua’s accuracy and ability to get the ball to the playmakers. After three weeks, the explosive combination of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill obliviously can be properly fed by Tua. Defenses have a walking nightmare on their hands trying to guard both wide receivers. If you put your coverage over the top to stop Hill then Waddle will tear you apart underneath and vice versa. There really is no way to beat the speed of the Miami Dolphins. Mike McDaniel started an arms race for speed by adding Hill to Waddle. It is clear he intends to use them both with Tua being the one to pull the trigger.