The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL Preseason.
The Eagles and Browns participated in two joint practices on Monday and Tuesday with each team ‘winning’ one practice.
After a strong start to training camp, Hurts came into the two practices against the Browns fresh off of a couple of lackluster performances. However, he redeemed himself versus Cleveland, showing why he will enter the season as one of the top contenders for NFL MVP.
While the first-team offense struggled on Day 1, Hurts still managed to put up strong numbers throughout.
In two practices versus Cleveland, Hurts finished 25 of 34 passing with four touchdowns and one interception on 58 reps.
Though he didn’t throw a touchdown on Day 1, he did have nice deep completion to DeVonta Smith while under duress. However, he came back on fire the next day, finishing 10 of 14 with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Red Zone Work Adds To Hurts’ TD Totals
Per Eliot Shorr-Parks, the Eagles did a lot of red zone work on Day 2, giving Hurts a chance to boost his stats.
Red zone looks are a good way to gauge a quarterback’s accuracy and ability to deliver the ball through tight windows.
And Hurts didn’t disappoint with his performance, throwing one dime after another versus the Browns’ defense.
Aside from one missed touchdown to Smith, he was nearly perfect on the day.
Hurts’ best throw came on a long touchdown to AJ Brown. Hurts scrambled out of the pocket and improvised, sending Brown to the corner of the end zone with a pass that was on the money.
Last season, Hurts accounted for 35 total touchdowns in the Eagles’ offense and could be in line for even bigger numbers in 2023.
Marcus Mariota Has Best Moments In Training Camp
After an uninspiring start to his tenure in Philadelphia, Marcus Mariota proved why the Eagles’ brought him in to be the backup quarterback for a Super Bowl contender.
Mariota looked better than ever in an Eagles’ uniform on Monday and Tuesday, moving the ball with relative ease against the Browns’ defense.
Mariota finished 14 of 22 passing with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Not only did Mariota showcase that he belongs, but he also had arguably the best performance of any player on either team.
[…] In joint practices against the Browns and Colts, Hurts was on fire. In fact, he ended off camp by completing 15 of 19 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions versus the Colts. He also went 10 for 14 with four touchdowns and no interceptions in his final practice versus the Browns. […]