2023 stats: 7 games | 67.2 pct | 1,821 pass yds | 7.5 ypa | 9 pass TD | 8 INT | 274 rush yds | 6 rush TD | 2 fumbles
One fourth-quarter throw in Sunday night’s game explains Hurts’ entire 2023 season to this point for me. On first-and-10 at midfield, Hurts dropped back to pass, saw A.J. Brown streaking downfield in double coverage, threw caution to the wind and stepped into an oncoming rusher as he fired a pass toward his hulking receiver. Brown came down with the catch for a 42-yard gain, setting up a touchdown run by Kenneth Gainwell two plays later. That play showed me Hurts trusts his abilities beyond the limits of what seems like reality to most. Now, that also showed up on his pick-six, as it seemed like Hurts believed he could throw through the facemask of closing rusher Kader Kohou. The defensive back predictably deflected the pass toward Jerome Baker, who caught the ball and returned it for a game-tying score. Most of the time, the confidence propels a player who is performing at a remarkable rate, statistics aside. He’s still doing more than almost any quarterback when it comes to directing an offense, extending plays and making magic. But we might have to accept that this will happen from time to time, like when he fumbled early on because he was too loose with the ball in a pocket collapsing around him. Hurts will learn to be more careful, but we can only hope it doesn’t come at the cost of his playmaking ability, because that’s what truly makes him a thrilling player to watch. Oh, he also finished with 279 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Dolphins. Good thing I covered that base for the stat-sheet scanners.
2023-10-26 18:24:00
#Patrick #Mahomes #vaults #Kirk #Cousins #closing #top
