After an embarrassing loss to the Chargers (22-19), it is natural to wonder and daydream what an offense would be like under Tanner Mckee. But would this be the right decision. Would it ruin morale and lose hope the rest of the season. Today I hope to break this all down in a logical and analytical way.
Before we dive in, do understand Jalen Hurts played really bad against the Chargers and it was his fault they lost. Completely on him. Easily his worst game as a pro.
The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side.
Watching the Eagles the past 3 weeks have been terrible. Mainly our offense. Almost in every way. Our passing game, run game, blocking, playcalling. So in this immense frustration, we love to imagine what a game would be like with somebody else. This feeling is understandable because we see a struggling offense and want anything else. Its a feeling of the grass is always greener on the other side. Think of it this way.
When Saquon Barkley is doing terrible, we think " Tank Bigsby needs to be put in. He is the better option.
Same thing with Jalen Hurts. When he struggles, we want Tanner Mckee. Now do you honestly think Saquon Barkley is worse than Tank Bigsby? The point is that when we see struggles on the field, we become quick to want to replace and switch players and bench others.
I believe Jalen Hurts is a better QB overall then Tanner Mckee. I cannot justify saying a 6th round backup is better then a QB that is proven, been in playoffs all 4 years and is the latest Super Bowl Champion. We can only assume Mckee is better. We have very little to go on.
He has played in:
Preseason.
1 regular season game.
2 regular season games where Jalen Hurts had blown the opponet out for the first 3 quarters.
That's all we have. Did he look great in those yes! He looked wonderful. But again, that's all we have.
So the narrative of Mckee is better than Hurts is simply not justifiable and rather ignorant.
Why, not because Mckee isn't talented but he has not proven that talent.
The Critical Failure Beyond This
When you talk about the struggles of Jalen Hurts, I think we have to put it in perspective.
If my memory recalls, just 10 months ago, we won the Super Bowl in dominant fashion against arguably the best defensive coordinator in the business. We won 40-22 but it wasn't even that close.
In that game, Jalen Hurts shined passing and running and completely took over.
Performance:
Now we fast forward to now. We have a 8-5 team that is really struggling. They are doing terrible. What changed between that super bowl victory and a terrible offense?
It is not Saquon Barkely.
It's not Jalen Hurts.
We have 4 of the 5 o-line.
We have the same Tight End.
The only significant change is the playcaller Kevin Patullo!!
Now if your an Eagles fan, I don't have to tell you that Kevin Patullo is absolutely terrible in every way. He is Trash! And because of this critical error, you have this change.
So benching Hurts right now would simply not be trusting your QB.
Sure he looked bad but a QB can have a bad couple of games. And personally, its is a big overreaction to want McKee considering that Kevin Patullo is still calling plays.
I think the wiser decision is calling for Patullo to be benched.
Below is clips from channels I respect thinking the same thing.
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx0D_MRL0z9ybNM4EQXlUXpQtHBIlcuxpm?si=gBCm5BSZ45f1YkvO
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxJeGZAFEREj1gOaBEMCLIsfUOretxdOan?si=gzU-quDl55dOtzLy
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxHQbSyTrm56YKhehsjJi65rqwAesnIMZY?si=gGB42KMUiwqMnoDk
Saquon Barkley 2024 rushing yards in 13 weeks= 1,589
Saquon Barkley 2025 rushing yards in 13 weeks= 618
Oline PFF Rank= #1
Oline PFF Rank= #14
And naturally Jalen Hurts is having a worse season. Its not just one player struggling, its the entire offense which leads to a critical failure. Kevin Patullo.
This isn't the first time this has happened either.
2. 2012 — Andy Reid’s Worst Year
🟥 What the coaches did wrong
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Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo (a former offensive line coach) was placed in a role he wasn’t trained for.
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Scheme didn’t fit the roster.
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Offense became unbalanced with too much passing and too little protection.
🟨 Who suffered
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Michael Vick took constant hits behind a collapsing O-line.
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DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin lost effectiveness with no time for deep routes.
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LeSean McCoy had no running lanes.
People said LeSean McCoy was mentally broken.
🧨 Result
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Started 3–1, then lost 8 straight.
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Reid was fired after 14 years.
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A talented roster massively underperformed because of bad coaching structure.
So remember to keep this in mind. Were LeSean McCoy and Desean Jackson not good players. No it was the fault of the coaching.
3. Jalen Hurts is Proven
I'm not going to talk about this much. I have another post showing Hurts is Elite on other seasons.
Below is AI summarizing that post
Jalen Hurts is one of the NFL’s most proven winners, already a Super Bowl MVP and champion, a four-year playoff starter, and a record-setter for rushing touchdowns by a QB. Despite sharing touches with Saquon Barkley in 2024, he still posted elite efficiency—top-five in passer rating, best in turnovers, top-three in QB rushing, and second in fantasy scoring—while ranking third in deep-ball accuracy. He’s twice been in serious MVP contention, praised by analysts, and graded as a top-five QB by PFF. Hurts also owns the most wins over the last three years, has outperformed Mahomes in all their matchups (including two Super Bowls), is undefeated against elite QBs in 2024, and is the fastest QB ever to reach 10,000 combined passing and rushing yards. His résumé shows he’s a top-five quarterback and a clutch performer.
And lastly remember this:
Wells some might say, he has not payed well in 2025.
I find that hard to believe because while he has looked really bad, he has had moments of greatness.
The only QB to have perfect passer rating in 2025.
Analysts said only reason Eagles beat Cowboys in week 1 was the great ability to run.
Had one of the greatest comebacks in eagles history against the Rams.
Had 4 passing touchdowns in a beatdown of the giants in a game without AJ Brown.
And lastly, week 8, analysts had this to say about Hurts.
ESPN
Jalen is having a MVP season don’t be surprised if he wins it this year haters can hate all they want he’s leading the NFL in Touchdowns with 20, with a 6-2 record and 15-1 td to int ratio
Jalen Hurts is on pace for 43 TDs and 3 INTs for the season.
Last 5/6 games with a passer rating of 110+ (including a perfect passer rating).
97.5 PHILADELPHIA
The case is there. You can argue that through 8 weeks, it is the strongest case in the NFL
4. What I would do
So in conclusion, I will give what I would do. I'm writing this on a Thursday before the Raiders game.
Scenario #1 Jalen Hurts is playing really good and they win by multiple scores.
Scenario #2 Jalen Hurts individually is playing better, not turning the ball over, and making smart decisions but the whole offense is still constricted by terrible play calling, winning in close fashion.
Scenario #3 Jalen Hurts is still making terrible decisions and turning the ball over.
Do remember that this is a team that if the season ended today would be in the playoffs.
If the third scenario happens, I would bench Jalen Hurts at halftime in favor of Tanner McKee. Why?
Because of accountability. I think it would cause a lot of drama and give Jalen Hurts some accountability. Sometimes real Accountability even if it doesn't work in the moment is exactly what a team needs. It resets everything. It brings clarity. And could be a positive shakeup for the starting QB
From there, I would put in Jalen Hurts for the next game. Regardless of whether McKee does good or not. It could be a surprise factor that catches the Commanders off-guard and McKee does good.
Anyway, Hurts is starting against the Commanders and the Bills. In these games, if Hurts has a wake-up call of accountability and does great then awesome. If he is still very bad and himself is doing terrible, then week 18 against the commanders, I'm starting Tanner McKee.
The Eagles have done something similar with the best Eagles QB in History.
Below is part of an article
In 2008, Donovan McNabb was benched at halftime after an awful first half against the Ravens. Kevin Kolb came in and also played great and the Eagles got smacked the Packers 36-7. But what happened after that is what matters. McNabb was reinstated the following week and lit up the Cardinals for four touchdowns on Thanksgiving. The Eagles went 4-1 down the stretch, won the NFC East, won two playoff games, and held a lead in the NFC Championship game. The turning point of that entire run traces directly back to McNabb’s benching.
So these are my thoughts. Jalen Hurts is a proven better QB but a halftime adjustment if Hurts is really terrible in the Raiders game might not be a bad idea and give good accountability.
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Honestly, I like the way you put the article together. I agree Jalen hurts is a proven starting qb and to be fair tanner mckee has only stared well in blowouts . Also tanner mckee was mid at best in college . He was 6-15 as a starter and only had 28 td -15 int’s ratio . I believe a lot of the blame is on the play caller . They have really stepped away from the run game and quite honestly put the offense on Jalen hurts . Obviously Jalen has made some terrible reads but think to last game . One was tipped by aj brown , Devonte smith gave up at the top of his route , the other two were on him in my opinion. But I will say the offense is too simple your OC needs to help your qb out with play action , screens and crosser routes . The Eagles do not run many crosser routes . You need those so the DB’s will run into each other . So I say a lot of the blame goes to the Oc . Traditionally Jalen hurts isn’t a pocket passes I’d say roll him out of the pocket . Let him make plays
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