Why It’s Time for the Football Public to Stop Doubting Jalen Hurts

It seems many have issues with how Odell Beckham Jr. prepares before games.

There were several comments under the video that I took of Beckham greeting Aaron Donald before Monday night’s game between the Giants and Rams, questioning why Beckham was going for a jog when he rarely sees snaps.

Read more Chiefs Guard Trey Smith Explains How an NFL Player Commits to His Body

For starters, he needs to warm up more than others at this stage of his career. And why does it matter that the 33-year-old Beckham is staying ready in case he’s called upon to play more? Beckham, who has played only 14 snaps in two games, seems to be enjoying every second of his comeback with the Giants and being on an NFL roster after missing all of 2025.

I guess Beckham having fun and being stylish while doing it doesn’t sit right with some. I’m sure Caleb Williams knows the feeling. He caught plenty of heat for being emotional while being carted off the field with a hamstring injury last week against the Vikings.

But let’s start this week’s NFL Fact or Fiction with another player who’s used to receiving plenty of criticism.

It’s time the football public stops doubting Jalen Hurts

Any time we begin to question Hurts as a legitimate franchise quarterback, we should just remember that he outplayed Patrick Mahomes in two Super Bowls.

Yes, I know the second Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl was more of a blowout thanks to Philly’s stellar defense, but saying that Hurts outplayed the league’s best quarterback on the biggest stage twice could finally knock some sense into us when it comes to the Hurts discourse that tends to take a few wild turns.

Pundits like myself criticizing Hurts for his inconsistent performances is one thing, but it was eye-opening that his peers have similar sentiments for him as a passer. Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons provided bulletin board material when he said a key to last week’s game was “make Jalen Hurts be a QB.” It was a rocky start, but by the end of the game, Hurts made Simmons eat his words in the 24–20 comeback victory. He was sensational down the stretch with his downfield connections to DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks, showing that he doesn’t need A.J. Brown to have success.

Credit to Simmons for going over to Hurts after the game and showing him respect, and I don’t blame the Eagles’ signal-caller for calling him out on his words after, saying, “You started that [expletive], I had to finish it.”

Manzano’s view: Fact

Chargers should start focusing on the 2027 NFL draft

I was half joking when I said the Chargers should tank for Jeremiah Smith after losing to the Raiders to drop to 0–2 on the season.

While Los Angeles should start packing it in and prioritizing the draft, adding a supremely talented wide receiver won’t end all of this team’s problems. The Chargers should consider trading some of their veterans to accumulate enough picks to add more weapons and repair the interior of the offensive line, which is the biggest problem in L.A.

Yes, Justin Herbert has been bad this season (two touchdowns and three interceptions), but he doesn’t have much of a chance with the options he has on the interior of his offensive line. You know it’s bad when the Chargers are rotating players at left guard. And, clearly, rookie Jake Slaughter is not ready to be a starter. He was forced to play center after Tyler Biadasz’s season-ending injury.

Read more Ortovox Launches Two New Avalanche Beacons With Voice Tech

It’s time for GM Joe Hortiz to work the phones for draft picks because the schedule will only get harder with upcoming games against the Bills, Seahawks, Broncos, Chiefs and Rams.

Manzano’s view: Fact

Criticism for how Caleb Williams acted with his hamstring injury is fair

Many poked fun at Williams for how he left the field against the Vikings after learning that his hamstring injury might only keep him out for a game or two.

I’m glad we can joke about how Williams went out because that means the Bears avoided a worst-case scenario and we’ll get to continue to watch one of the league’s more entertaining players. But let’s give Williams a break for this one. Hamstring injuries are no joke. They tend to linger and could drastically alter how players move on the field, and part of what makes Williams special is his knack for extending plays out of the pocket.

In the moment, Williams probably assumed the worst and thought he wouldn’t be around for quite some time, and his emotions got the best of him. I don’t see anything wrong with being disappointed about the possibility of not being able to compete with your teammates.

Williams gets a lot of crap for not hiding his emotions and being himself. We should applaud him for not caring about what others think. I’m sure Williams is laughing at the memes and isn’t losing sleep over how he exited on the cart.

Manzano’s view: Fiction

NFL teams should have regrets about not hiring Brian Flores

I don’t know how we went another coaching cycle without the Vikings’ defensive coordinator landing a head coaching job. I guess I do have an idea: Flores filed a lawsuit against the league for racial discrimination.

Still, it’s wild to think that’s stopping a team from hiring a coach who has spent the past three-plus seasons in Minnesota making opposing quarterbacks look foolish. He’s off to another strong start this season and has been instrumental in the Vikings’ 2–0 start. A team would have benefited from giving Flores another chance to be a head coach, one that he has fully earned.

Flores lost his top pass rusher when the team traded Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia, but now has Dallas Turner playing like a future All-Pro after two quiet seasons. Opposing offenses know Flores will blitz them at a high rate and they still don’t have many answers for containing the extra pressure. The Bears had 59 points in Week 1 against the Panthers and only three in their Week 2 loss to the Vikings. Here’s hoping Flores gets a head coaching job in the next hiring cycle.

Manzano’s view: Fact

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why It’s Time for the Football Public to Stop Doubting Jalen Hurts.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Read more Fantasy Football WR Rankings: Who To Start Week 3?

This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 3:00 AM.