How can the Dallas Cowboys stop Jalen Hurts?

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys have a unique challenge to face in Jalen Hurts

When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Jalen hurts with the 53rd overall pick, many Dallas Cowboys fans joked that he would eventually become the starting quarterback for the team. In perhaps the strangest sequence of events, not unusual at this current juncture of 2020, former starting quarterback Carson Wentz finds himself currently on the bench while his rookie understudy has started and performed admirably the last two games. This wouldn’t be the first time Cowboys fans have spoken something into existence, but this is definitely one of the funnier times.

Hurts has seemingly lit the football world on fire after winning his first game against the New Orleans Saints and almost beating the Arizona Cardinals on a four-touchdown performance. his combination of leadership, athleticism, and arm talent make for an exciting trio of traits that weren’t always there with Carson Wentz.

In the last two games, Hurts has thrown for 505 yards, five touchdowns with no interceptions. On the ground, he’s also rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown. These numbers are quite eye-popping, but they also don’t show some of his inefficiencies as a passer.

Hurts has only completed 55% of his passes the last two games, that percentage is still lower than Carson Wentz’s and it’s with a smaller volume. While he avoided taking a sack his first game, he was sacked six times the following game.

Recognizing everything that has transpired, I decided to look at Jalen Hurts’ film and see how he has and hasn’t been effective in his last two games to see if DC Mike Nolan could configure a game plan to stop the red-hot former Sooner.

(The sad reality is even if the Cowboys stop Hurts as a passer, they still have the worst run defense in the league which also bodes well for him)