PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Is the right Jalen getting enough attention?
Jalen Hurts is the Eagles’ franchise quarterback. In a football-crazed city like Philadelphia, he’s always going to factor into the team’s narrative, no matter what.
But on the heels of another overpowering performance, the Eagles’ “other” Jalen — defensive tackle Jalen Carter — is certainly worthy of the spotlight, too.
If not for his three monster plays in the fourth quarter, it’s hard to imagine the Eagles advancing past the LA Rams, 28-22, in the NFC divisional round. Right after Hurts and the offense gave up a safety, Carter punched a fumble out of the arm of Rams running back Kyren Williams to set up the Eagles in a goal-to-go situation that led to a field goal.
Later in the fourth, with time winding down and LA threatening to take the lead, Carter almost single-handedly clinched the Eagles’ win with a third-down sack of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, followed by a fourth-down pressure that forced Stafford into an errant throw with 31 seconds left.
The Rams turned the ball over on downs, and the Eagles were on their way to the franchise’s second NFC championship appearance in three years — Carter’s first.
“We’re here for the long run,” said Carter, the ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft. “We here to ball out. We’re trying to go all the way. There’s only one goal: win that Super Bowl.”
To do that, the Eagles need two more wins: Sunday’s rubber match with division rival Washington, and the title bout itself versus the winner of the AFC championship game between Kansas City and Buffalo.
But practice figures to be far more complex than theory, especially in light of Hurts’ status. He and the offense were already trying to work through kinks in the passing game before he hurt his knee against the Rams. The injury now casts further doubt on the threat Hurts can pose moving forward, making Carter and the defense’s role in charting a path to New Orleans all the more crucial.
Inside Sunday’s victorious Lincoln Financial Field locker room, teammates sang Carter’s praises.
“Great defensive play,” Hurts said when he was asked about Carter’s key third-down sack.
“That dude’s a monster,” said linebacker Zack Baun.
Linebacker Oren Burks called Carter a beast.
Running back Saquon Barkley said, “JC’s so special; one of one.”
While the 6-foot-3, 314-pound Carter’s rare combination of size and physical tools is obvious just about every time he rushes the pocket, another one of his gifts is less easy to spot.
In the latest episode of the “unCovering the Birds” podcast, host and Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeff McLane puts Carter’s growth and maturity into context and explains why the Pro Bowler’s brain is just as important as his brawn.
🎧 ▶️ unCovering the Birds
Plus, McLane weighs in on the state of the Eagles’ passing attack, which he talks about with receiver A.J. Brown.
“If we can correct these things while we have the opportunity, that would be great,” Brown told McLane, “because you don’t want that to come back and bite you.
“If you don’t fix it, it’s gonna show in [games], because these tough [playoff] games, they’re going to exploit your negatives.”
There’s also a new “Pick Six” segment with defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who dishes on songs, dance and his fellow Georgia Bulldogs on the Eagles roster.
In this episode:
00:00 ▶️ The “other” Jalen, and his rising star
10:20 ▶️ Can the passing game get on track? Does it need to?
25:11 ▶️ Pick Six with Jordan Davis
31:48 ▶️ Setting the table for Round 3 vs. Washington
unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes each week during the regular season. Follow on the free Audacy app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to podcasts.