Did Jonathan Allen give Jalen Hurts bulletin-board material before Week 3?

The Washington Commanders got humbled by the Detroit Lions in Week 2. Their reward? Hosting the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, who’ve annoyingly lived up to every bit of the hype they generated after their representative offseason.

The Eagles defense rebounded in Week 2 after a lackluster opener, limiting the Vikings’ high-powered offense to seven points and 264 yards. It was a statement win in primetime and it’s quickly becoming clear that Philly could be one of the last teams standing in the NFC this season.

The main reason for that? The play of Jalen Hurts.

Before the season, analysts echoed the same sentiment: the Eagles have a top-five (or thereabouts) roster in the NFL, but their ceiling would be capped by Hurts’ limitations as a passer. The basis for that argument ? His underwhelming performance in Philadelphia’s playoff loss to the Buccaneers last season.

Through two games this year, though, Hurts has silenced his critics. Very few quarterbacks have performed better than the 24-year-old and the MVP buzz coming out of Philadelphia, unfortunately, stands on pretty strong legs.

Simply put, Hurts is a nightmare matchup for the Commanders, but defensive captain Jonathan Allen doesn’t exactly see it that way. In Allen’s eyes, Hurts is an easier quarterback to bring down relative to the Lions’ Jared Goff.

Did Commanders DT Jonathan Allen supply Eagles QB Jalen Hurts with bulletin-board material before Week 3?

"“People always make the comparison about a running quarterback or a dual-threat quarterback as opposed to more of an in-pocket quarterback, but I look at it the opposite [way],” Allen said on the Sports Junkies, via NBC Sports Washington. “Jalen Hurts is gonna give us more opportunities to get him down because Jared Goff gets the ball out really fast.”“Sometimes, getting the ball out so fast, it doesn’t even matter if he has an offensive line, you’re not gonna get there. As opposed to Jalen Hurts, who will stand in the pocket longer, giving you more opportunities to get to him. Every quarterback’s different as far as getting down. Obviously, we know what kind of player Jalen is and I’m looking forward to it.”"

Allen obviously didn’t mean any disrespect towards Hurts. He even recognized the quarterback’s exemplary play. But Hurts has clearly kept the receipts of his biggest naysayers. If you watched Eagles-Vikings on Monday Night Football, Hurts was straight-faced whenever cameras panned over to Philly’s sideline.

Even after scoring plays, Hurts’ expression didn’t change. As the Eagles were asserting their dominance over a talented Vikings side, Hurts remained dialed in until he unleashed an uproarious celebration when the fourth quarter ended.

You don’t think Hurts will use Allen’s comments, regardless of intention, as motivation for Sunday’s rivalry game at FedEx Field? Of course, no one is going to blame Allen if Hurts goes scorched earth against the Commanders. He’d probably do that anyway, but why poke a bear who’s in the form of his life?

Through two games, Hurts’ 90.8 passing grade is tops amongst QBs, per Pro Football Focus, and he has the second-most total yards (723) at the position. In the first half alone Monday night, Hurts went 17-of-20 for 301 total yards and three TDs against a Vikings D that limited Aaron Rodgers to seven points in Week 1.

Allen also took a dig at Hurts’ 600-pound squatting video that was showed during the Monday Night Football broadcast.

"“For an interior defensive tackle, I’m not worried about how much a quarterback is squatting. I mean, at the end of the day, 290 [pounds] to what is Jalen Hurts, 220? I mean, physics wins at the end of the day.”"

Again, no one’s faulting Allen for making these comments. He was asked a question and gave an honest answer. That’s his job. We just don’t love the fact that he implied one of the game’s premier dual-threat quarterbacks is easier to sack than Jared Goff, who’s notorious for not being able to navigate pressure.

Especially when the former QB has looked unstoppable through two games.