Commanders DC: We'll hit Hurts 'like a running back' on designed runs
Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. wants the Philadelphia Eagles to think twice before calling a designed run for quarterback Jalen Hurts.
"If he's going to run the ball, and the coordinator makes the decision for him to run the ball, we're going to treat him like a running back. And we're going to hit him that way," Whitt said Thursday ahead of Sunday's NFC title game, according to Jeff Skversky of CBS News Detroit. "That's their decision if they want to get him hit the way that he gets hit. If they don't, they will keep him in the pocket. So that's what we're going to do."
Hurts is one of the NFL's best mobile quarterbacks - his 52 touchdowns on the ground since 2021 lead the league over that span. He ran for 630 yards in the regular season and tied a career single-game playoff high with 70 rushing yards in last week's victory over the Los Angeles Rams. The 26-year-old left the Rams matchup with a knee injury but is expected to face the Commanders.
Run defense was an issue for the Commanders during the regular season: The team's defensive unit ranked 27th in rushing EPA.
Hurts played approximately five quarters across two regular-season games versus the Commanders, rushing for a combined 80 yards and one touchdown. He suffered a concussion that sidelined him for multiple games in the first quarter of Philly's second meeting with Washington after being tackled at the end of a run.
"Every team is going to try to tackle Jalen like a running back," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Thursday in response to Whitt's comments, according to Skversky. "He's running with the football, they'll try to tackle him. We already are ultimately cautious with how we use him and how we think about each play because we know how important it is to have him out there. But I wouldn't expect anything else. Jalen knows how to take care of himself."
Washington is also led by a dual-threat quarterback in Jayden Daniels, who set a rookie QB record with 891 rushing yards this campaign.
The Commanders and Eagles split their in-season series in 2024.