PHILADELPHIA -- Jalen Hurts wasn't even asked about his last performance on "Monday Night Football." He brought up the embarrassing game himself.
The Philadelphia Eagles weren't even competitive in a 20-point loss to the Dallas Cowboys that wasn't as close as the final score indicated in Week 3 of last season. Hurts looked overmatched against a tenacious defense that exposed a lot of weaknesses in the young quarterback's game.
Getting another shot at the "Monday Night Football" spotlight in front of a national audience, Hurts turned in the best performance of his young career. Hurts finished an astonishing 26 of 31 for 333 yards with a passing touchdown (108.7 rating) while rushing 11 times for 57 yards and two scores in the Eagles' dominant victory over the Minnesota Vikings Monday night.
Hurts became the first player in NFL history to throw for 300-plus yards, complete 80% of his passes and rush for multiple touchdowns in a single game. It was the kind of performance franchise quarterbacks make on the national stage.
"I remember the last time we came out here and played on 'Monday Night Football.' I haven't forgotten about that," Hurts said. "To be able to come out here and perform at a high level as a team, that's big for us. We performed at a high level and still left so much money on the table.
"The standard has not been met. Hell of a game tonight, but there's a hell of a lot to learn from."
Hurts was nearly flawless in a performance that silenced plenty of his doubters about whether he's the long-term answer in Philadelphia. His 83.9% completion percentage was the highest by an Eagles player since Nick Foles in 2018. He started the game off with 11 consecutive completions -- the longest streak of a game to begin his career.
Even with the standout performance, Hurts is far from satisfied. There was one thing that irked Hurts, something he badly wants to clean up the next time he takes the field.
"What left me most unpleased and that was how we finished the game on offense," Hurts said as the Eagles didn't score a point in the second half. "We have to keep our foot on the gas."
The first half was a spectacle only the elite quarterbacks showcase. Hurts finished with 301 yards of total offense in the half, becoming the first Eagles player to combine for 300-plus total yards in the first half of a game since Michael Vick in 2010 (which was also on "Monday Night Football"). Hurts completed 85% of his passes (17 of 20) for 251 yards with a touchdown, while rushing for 50 yards and two scores.
Hurts is the first player to have three games with 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in his first three seasons -- and is already tied for fifth on the all-time list. Hurts is just the third player with 300-plus passing yards, 50-plus rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns on "Monday Night Football," joining Vick (2010) and Cam Newton (2012).
His lone blemish of the night was a pass that went off the hands of Kenny Gainwell into the arms of Jordan Hicks for an interception.
Finishing with 395 yards of total offense, Hurts showcased why the Eagles continue to put their faith in him that he's the long-term solution. Nick Sirianni and the Eagles brass saw this coming, but the national audience received a small taste of how Hurts can be a problem in this league for a long time.
This is just the beginning.
"Big-time performance on a big-time stage .. .I wouldn't say I'm surprised. I've seen the growth," Sirianni said. "We talk about this so much with Jalen. Why is he going to continue to reach his ceiling? Because he's tough, he has high football character, and he loves football.
"He's going to reach his ceiling. It's fun watching him grow."
