How many games do the Eagles have a quarterback advantage in?

This has become not so much an interesting challenge every year, but a practice in futility. Two years ago, we completely underestimated Jalen Hurts in our little fun exercise, with Hurts coming out 4-13 over the 17 games we predicted in the quarterback challenge. It was terribly wrong in 2022. Last year, it went the complete opposite direction, with only Patrick Mahomes considered better than Hurts. That did not work too well, either.

Then again, coming off a season in which Hurts was 14-1 as a starter, commanding a team that was expected to repeat as NFC East Division champions, expected to go deep into the playoffs, at least back to the NFC championship, and possibly the Super Bowl, much was expected of Hurts.

The Eagles got off to a 10-1 start, with Hurts’ play best characterized as uneven.

Then the roof fell in.

The Eagles deflated—they seemed to flat out quit—and Hurts with them.

In their infamous 1-6 collapse, Hurts, who was having a pile of trouble trusting first-year offensive coordinator Brian Johnson’s system, threw six touchdowns and five interceptions. He was also sacked 10 times in the last seven games. You did not need an PhD in NFL quarterback breakdowns to notice Hurts had no idea where the blitz was coming from and how to pick it up.

This season, Hurts and the Eagles will be facing a solid group of opposing quarterbacks. Whereas last season, Super Bowl MVP Mahomes was clearly the only one—on paper—better than Hurts, many will be this season.

The Eagles will be facing 14 quarterbacks, three within their division, one clearly better, the other an unknown, and one clearly inferior.

In 2022, the Eagles scored a franchise record 477 points. That dipped a little last season to 433. But the 428 points the Eagles gave up is the most since Chip Kelly’s last season, which yielded 430 points in 2015 during a 7-9 season.

This year, Hurts will be working with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, whose system will be “95-percent” of the revamped Eagles’ offense, according to Hurts. He will have a star tailback to rely on in Saquon Barkley, though he has a new offensive line in front of him, sans the great anchor, Jason Kelce.

It is an easier schedule. It features a mix of established stars, like Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Dak Prescott, rising stars, like Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love, established, though still dangerous quarterbacks, like Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins and the Los Angeles Rams’ Matt Stafford, your middling guys, like Derek Carr and Baker Mayfield, bottom dwellers like Bryce Young and Daniel Jones, and unknown rookies like Jayden Daniels.

Hurts should be better in 2024—but he may not duplicate 2022 again.

Here’s a look at who the Eagles will face in 2024 and a brief summary as to who the better quarterback will be.

2024

Week 1 – vs. Green Bay Packers in Brazil (Sept. 6, 8:15 PM, Peacock)

Jordan Love

GS: 17

Rec: 9-8

TDs/INTs: 32/11

Pass completions: 372/579 (64.2%)

Yds: 4,159

QB Rating: 96.1

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Love was among the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL late last season. In his last six games, he threw 14 touchdowns against two interceptions, which included the Packers’ two playoff games. He went into Dallas and upset the Cowboys, torching them for three TDs, and 272 yards passing in a 48-32 playoff victory—the most points the Cowboys ever gave up in a playoff game. Love then went into San Francisco and scared the 49ers in a 24-21 loss, more than a month after the Niners came to the Linc and held the Eagles and Hurts to 19 points. If any team was going to get Love, it was early last season. He has caught up to the speed of the NFL and that translated into how he took off late last season. The Packers are a scary team. They are young, experienced and burgeoning with confidence. One other large factor here, which will be an ongoing theme early this season: Love will be arriving with a grasp of his offense; Hurts will be learning Moore’s new system under fire, and with two new major pieces on his offensive line, center Cam Jurgens and whoever starts at right guard.

Winner: Love

Week 2 – Atlanta Falcons (Sept. 16, 8:15 PM, ESPN) Monday Night Football

Kirk Cousins

GS: 8

Rec: 4-4

TDs/INTs: 18/5

Pass completions: 216/311 (69.5%)

Yds: 2,331

QB Rating: 103.8

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Cousins just keeps going. The problem here is that is Monday night and Cousins’ eyes have a tendency to bulge out of his skull under that glare. With a game under his belt and still grasping Moore’s system, expect Hurts and the Eagles to win their first game, although Cousins is still very capable of threatening an upset here. On national TV, Hurts will look good. His issue may be trying to look too good and force things that are not there. Still, Hurts will find a way to stave off anything Cousins and the rebuilding Falcons can offer.

Winner: Hurts

Week 3 – at New Orleans Saints (Sept. 22, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Derek Carr

GS: 17

Rec: 9-8

TDs/INTs: 25/8

Pass completions: 375/548 (68.4%)

Yds: 3,878

QB Rating: 97.7

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Carr and the Saints missed the NFC playoffs in an NFC South tiebreaker to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who completely obliterated the Eagles in the playoffs. Carr underwent a kind of career resurrection last season, outperforming what Hurts did in 2023 with 25 touchdown passes against eight interceptions, and competing 68% of his passes. He also finally grasped the Saints’ system late last season. Carr led the Saints to wins in four of their last five games, including beating the Bucs. This quarterback matchup is even. We will give the slight edge here to Carr, based on what he did late last year.

Winner: Carr

Week 4 – at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sept. 29, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Baker Mayfield

GS: 17

Rec: 9-8

TDs/INTs: 28/10

Pass completions: 364/566 (64.3%)

Yds: 4,044

QB Rating: 94.6

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: The Bucs were Mayfield’s fourth team in three seasons (Browns, Panthers and Rams). He may be Kyler Murray light, in terms of the athletic ability to scramble free of trouble. He went from being cut last year, when no one initially wanted him, to beating the Eagles in the playoffs. Mayfield will be facing a very motivated Hurts and the Eagles, who still bear the scars of that embarrassing playoff loss on national TV, when Troy Aikman questioned their heart, deservedly so. Mayfield did carve them up, throwing for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 32-9 win. Hurts needs to excel—and he will. He should outduel Mayfield.

Winner: Hurts

Week 5 – BYE

Week 6 – Cleveland Browns (Oct. 13, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Deshaun Watson

GS: 6

Rec: 5-1

TDs/INTs: 7/4

Pass completions: 105/171 (61.4%)

Yds: 1,115

QB Rating: 84.3

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: When healthy, Watson can still be dangerous. The problem is he has not been on the field very much since being traded from Houston to Cleveland. In two years with the Browns, he has played a total of 12 games. He just happens to be 8-4 in those 12 games, going 5-1 in 2023, before suffering a glenoid fracture in his throwing shoulder during a Week 10 win over the Baltimore Ravens that scuttled last season. He is 28 and has a great defense around him. For a lousy 4-12 Houston team in 2020, he threw for a career-best 4,823 yards, 33 TDs, against seven interceptions, and a 112.4 QB rating. The Browns are going to be a pretty good team, and Watson is still a viable threat.

Winner: Watson

Week 7 – at New York Giants (Oct. 20, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Week 18 – New York Giants (TBD)

Daniel Jones

GS: 6

Rec: 1-5

TDs/INTs: 2/6

Pass completions: 108/160 (67.5%)

Yds: 909

QB Rating: 70.5

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Think about this: The Giants were a far better team without Jones than with him when facing the Eagles last year. Of the scheduled 14 quarterbacks the Eagles will face in 2024, Jones could be the worst. First, he lost Saquon Barkley to the Eagles. There was strong speculation in New York that the Giants would go quarterback with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft, another ringing endorsement for Jones. And in five seasons with the Giants, Jones has produced a 22-36-1 record, with one winning season. His 2023 season ended with an ACL tear in his right knee in Week 9. He was coming off his best season as a pro in 2022, when he threw for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns against five interceptions. Can he regain the 2022 form? Probably not. This season may mark Jones’ last year as an NFL starter. The Giants are bad. Jones will be bad. New York will need to scrap the remains and start over in 2025 with someone other than Daniel Jones.

Winner: Hurts

Week 8 – at Cincinnati Bengals (Oct. 27, 4:25 PM, CBS)

Joe Burrow

GS: 10

Rec: 5-5

TDs/INTs: 15/6

Pass completions: 244/365 (66.8%)

Yds: 2,309

QB Rating: 91.9

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Despite having his 2023 season derailed by calf injury at the start of the year and a torn ligament in his right wrist toward the end, Burrow is still among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. In 52 starts over four seasons, he is 29-22-1 as a starter. The Bengals were 5-5 in the 10 games Burrow started, throwing for 2,309 yards and 15 touchdowns to six interceptions. He will return no doubt healthy for 2024—and with something to prove. This is a national TV game, at Cincinnati in October. Who knows where Vic Fangio’s defense will be by then. One thing is certain: Burrow is a handful.

Winner: Burrow

Week 9 – Jacksonville Jaguars (Nov. 3, 8:20 PM, NBC) Sunday Night Football

Trevor Lawrence

GS: 16

Rec: 8-8

TDs/INTs: 21/14

Pass completions: 370/564 (65.6%)

Yds: 4,016

QB Rating: 88.5

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Lawrence currently walks in the land of being good, yet not great. In 50 NFL starts, Lawrence is 20-30. This season is his third with former Eagles’ coach Doug Pederson, and you would think Lawrence would begin making the jump into the elite category. He better. He

was 8-8 as a starter, though those first eight games with victories at Buffalo and sweeping the Indianapolis Colts. Lawrence may be trending upward, but he is not quite where Hurts currently is.

Winner: Hurts

Week 10 – Dallas Cowboys (Nov. 10, 4:25 PM, CBS)

Week 17 – at Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 29, 4:25 PM, FOX)

Dak Prescott

GS: 17

Rec: 12-5

TDs/INTs: 36/9

Pass completions: 410/590 (69.5%)

Yds: 4,516

QB Rating: 105.9

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Prescott was MVP material last season. He went 12-5 as a starter, leading the Cowboys to the NFC East Division title. His 410 completions were a career best, as were his 36 TD passes. He threw for 4,516 yards, the second-highest single season total in his career.

His 105.9 QB rating was also a career best. As a starter in 114 games, Prescott is 73-41. He finished second in MVP voting in 2023 and is 9-4 over his career against the Eagles. Bird fans can laugh all that they want at Prescott’s futility in the postseason (2-5 in seven starts with a 91.8 QB rating), but he is the best quarterback in the NFC East and is hungry, playing in a contract year. The Eagles were one Prescott right foot out of bounds on his failed two-point conversion and a Luke Schoonmaker knee on an overturned touchdown from going 0-2 against Dallas last year.

Winner: Prescott

Week 11 – Washington Commanders (Nov. 14, 8:15 PM, Amazon Prime Video) Thursday Night Football

Week 16 – at Washington Commanders (Dec. 22, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Jayden Daniels

GS: N/A

Rec: N/A

TDs/INTs: N/A

Pass completions: N/A

Yds: N/A

QB Rating: N/A

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Washington will be better offensively. Daniels won the Heisman Trophy and was the second overall pick in the draft. Despite Eagle killer Terry McLaurin to throw to, new head coach Dan Quinn, and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders are a work in progress.

Winner: Hurts

Week 12 – at Los Angeles Rams (Nov. 24, 8:20 PM, NBC) Sunday Night Football

Matt Stafford

GS: 15

Rec: 9-6

TDs/INTs: 24/11

Pass completions: 326/521 (62.6%)

Yds: 3,965

QB Rating: 92.5

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Stafford is 36 and nearing the end of a solid career. He is a Super Bowl champion, and somehow got the Rams into the NFC playoffs last season, completing 326 passes (62.6%) for 3,965 yards and a 92.5 QB rating. By this time, Stafford may not even be playing. He is nearing retirement and 2023 was a comeback year from his injury-plagued 2022 season, when he suffered a concussion, and then a season-ending spinal cord contusion. He is still capable of beating the Eagles if he is playing in late November. We still like Hurts here, based on his youth and durability.

Winner: Hurts

Week 13 – at Baltimore Ravens (Dec. 1, 4:25 PM, CBS)

Lamar Jackson

GS: 16

Rec: 13-3

TDs/INTs: 24/7

Pass completions: 307/457 (67.2%)

Yds: 3,678

QB Rating: 102.7

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Let’s call Lamar Jackson “Dak Prescott North.” He is the reigning NFL MVP, an award he won for the second time in five years, after leading the Ravens to a 13-3 finish, throwing for a career-best 3,678 yards, rushing for 821 yards, tossing 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and completing a career-best 307 passes for a career-best 67.2%. Jackson is who Hurts should aspire to be. Jackson’s one glaring flaw: The postseason, where he is 2-4 as a starter with six touchdowns and six interceptions. With the addition of running anvil Derrick Henry in the backfield, not only will Jackson be that much more formidable, but the Ravens also have a strong chance of coming out of the AFC as Super Bowl contenders. Could this December 1 date be a Super Bowl preview? On paper right now, one of the two teams playing that day in Baltimore appears to be heading there—and it is not the Eagles, who may get hammered.

Winner: Jackson

Week 14 – Carolina Panthers (Dec. 8, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Bryce Young

GS: 16

Rec: 2-14

TDs/INTs: 11/10

Pass completions: 315/527 (59.8%)

Yds: 2,877

QB Rating: 73.7

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: Young ran for his life most of his rookie season. He lost more games in his first NFL season than he may have lost combined before he entered the NFL. He was sacked 62 times for minus-477 yards and tossed 11 TDs, against 10 interceptions. This season will be telling as to whether the Panthers will move forward with the diminutive Young as their franchise quarterback. The Eagles have one in Hurts.

Winner: Hurts

Week 15 – Pittsburgh Steelers (Dec. 15, 4:25 PM, FOX)

Russell Wilson

GS: 15

Rec: 7-8

TDs/INTs: 26/8

Pass completions: 317/472 (66.4%)

Yds: 3,070

QB Rating: 98.0

Jalen Hurts

GS: 17

Rec: 11-6

TDs/INTs: 23/15

Pass completions: 352/538 (65.4%)

Yds: 3,858

QB Rating: 89.1

Summary: The Steelers are taking a big chance in the 35-year-old Wilson, who despite some gaudy numbers, like his 26 touchdown passes against eight interceptions and 317 completions for a 66.4% completion rate, looked shot last season in Denver. He signed with Pittsburgh for the league minimum as he tries to resurrect his career. By Dec. 15, the Eagles may not even be facing Wilson, since the Steelers traded for another reclamation project with the potential for a greater upside in Justin Fields. Neither looked good during the Steelers’ OTAs. Whoever it is the Eagles will face on Dec. 15, they will have the decided edge.

Winner: Hurts

FINAL TALLY

Hurts is the better QB in 10 of the Eagles’ 17 games in 2024.

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Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who has written feature stories for SI.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com, MLB.com, Deadspin and The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News. In 2006, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for a special project piece for ESPN.com called “Love at First Beep.” He is most noted for his award-winning ESPN.com feature on high school wrestler A.J. Detwiler in February 2006, which appeared on SportsCenter. In 2015, he was elected president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.