Souhan: What has happened to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts?

Vikings fans dream of the dream quarterback who will bring the franchise its first Super Bowl victory, or at least its first Super Bowl appearance since Elvis died.

The Philadelphia Eagles are proof that even championships might not satisfy a fan base.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is 27.

This is his fifth season as his team’s primary starter. He has won one Super Bowl and played well enough to win another.

The team he currently leads is 4-2, tied for the second-best record in the NFC, and only one game worse than the best record in the NFL.

Yet no one’s happy with him, probably including himself.

So far this season, he has been average.

Hurts is also proof that you don’t need a top-five quarterback to win a Super Bowl.

Even Hurts’ most fervent supporters wouldn’t rank him ahead of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. At the moment, Hurts doesn’t look as good as Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott or Justin Herbert.

In fact, at the moment, Hurts doesn’t look as good as Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco or Daniel Jones.

This season, Hurts has missed on what should have been long touchdown throws to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. He has also thrown only one interception, a testament to his caution.

Hurts might be the modern Troy Aikman — a quality passer and leader who needs a powerhouse running game to win big.

This year, Barkley’s rushing average has dropped from 125.3 to 54.2 yards per game. After a 4-0 start, the Eagles have lost two in a row, to the Broncos and the Giants, as Hurts has missed or thrown late to wide-open receivers.

Of course, even at 27, Hurts is a relatively young quarterback.

What we’re seeing around the NFL is the rise of the experienced quarterback, highlighted by the shootout Thursday night between 40-somethings Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco.

There are only two quarterbacks younger than 27 who rank in the top 10 in the NFL in either passer rating or Total QBR: Green Bay’s Jordan Love, who is 26, and Patriots second-year starter Drake Maye.

A wave of quality young quarterbacks, highlighted by the great Patrick Mahomes and a great rookie season from C.J. Stroud, persuaded us to think that adapting to the position in the NFL might not be that difficult these days.

To put it simply, in the context of the Eagles-Vikings game, if NFL defenses are problematic for a player of Hurts’ experience, should we expect J.J. McCarthy to be ready to win immediately?

McCarthy is 22.

When Hurts was 22, he started four games as a rookie for the Eagles, completing 52% of his passes and producing six touchdowns and four interceptions.

Hurts didn’t become an established winner until his third season, when he was 24. He won a Super Bowl at age 26, and in that season his passing production regressed as the Eagles relied on the run.

Hurts threw just 18 touchdown passes last year. Some of the more prolific passers in the league might reach that total in two months or less.