Jalen Hurts laughed when asked about Michael Jordan and the shrug.

He didn’t directly address whether he was trying to be like Mike when he raised his shoulders and held out his hands after his first touchdown. But the Eagles quarterback spoke about the significance of Jordan’s presence at Thursday night’s opener.

“Yeah, you have a special guest, a special friend in attendance,” Hurts said of the NBA legend, “there’s only one thing you can do and that’s win. So I have a lot of love for him.”

Hurts’ victorious performance over the Dallas Cowboys may not have been Jordan-at-his-best like, but it was Jordan-like efficient with other parts of the Eagles offense indifferent. Wide receiver A.J. Brown didn’t see a pass come his way for the first 58 minutes, while running back Saquon Barkley ran into a tidal wave of blue and white in the second half.

There were games last season when either Brown or Barkley were stifled, but there was never a week when both stars fell short of their usual production — except for maybe in the Super Bowl. But just like that night in February when he played like an MVP, Hurts carried the offense.

He delivered devastating blows with his legs, running for touchdowns on the Eagles’ first two possessions. He was efficient with his arm, completing 82.6% of his throws. And he was decisive in his decision-making and game management with zero turnovers.

“I know that it’ll say that we threw for 152 yards. ‘What’s going on? Why didn’t we throw [more]?’” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “But Jalen played really efficiently and really [well] from what I saw and made plays with his legs, his mind, and with his arm.”

It was an odd evening. It took all of one play for the shine of the championship banner that had just been unveiled in the rafters at Lincoln Financial Field to dull. Ben VanSumeren suffered what appeared to be a significant knee injury on the opening kickoff, and as trainers attended to the fullback, a flag was thrown in between the Eagles offense and Cowboys defense.

Jalen Carter had spit on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott and was ejected. Even though replays later showed that Prescott had first hocked in the Eagles defensive tackle’s direction — he denied it was aimed at Carter — there was no denying the second loogie’s intention.

Carter’s exit clearly affected Vic Fangio’s defense. The Eagles didn’t stop the Cowboys until Jihaad Campbell forced a fumble in the third quarter. But Hurts and the offense kept matching Dallas and took a 21-20 lead into the break.

On the first possession, he scrambled 4 yards into the end zone. On the second, he dove inside the pylon. Both touchdowns came when the Cowboys blanketed receivers in coverage. The pass protection held up, but Hurts’ internal clock knew when to leave.

Those weren’t the only times. Hurts picked up a career high five first downs on nine scrambles, according to Next Gen Stats. The last iced the game on third-and-3 with 1 minute and 45 seconds left.

“He’s got that mojo, that swag,” Eagles tackle Lane Johnson said. “He’s just very poised. I feel like he’s been like that since a rookie, and obviously, he’s learned more and more each season. It’s impressive from my standpoint. I’ve seen a lot of guys come and go here.

“I ain’t seen a whole lot of guys with that type of mindset.”

Hurts admitted last month that his confidence had grown since winning the Super Bowl. How could it not? He’s had better statistical games. And he’s come through when defenses stacked the box vs. Barkley. The Cowboys held the running back to just 11 yards on eight carries after he gained 49 yards on 10 rushes in the first half.

“I don’t think anything’s necessarily changed,” Hurts said. “When you look over the last five years of me playing the quarterback position here at Philly, what have they called in and said? ‘Beat him as a passer. Make him beat us as a passer.’ And so what does that change?

“It’s kind of been the same thing for our run game over the years. I think people look for the production of certain things and I’m just looking for the efficiency.”

But to be as efficient without Brown and fellow receiver DeVonta Smith, who caught 3 of 3 targets for just 16 yards, was unprecedented. Third receiver Jahan Dotson stepped up and caught three passes for 59 yards, including a 51-yard quarters zone-beater in the second quarter.

“Three-hundred and sixty-five days ago, Week 1 of last year, that ball is probably not going up just because we didn’t have that trust,” Dotson said of Hurts. “But it’s those built-up reps over and over and over again. He’s seen me make plays, so he has the trust in me to go make a play for the team, and we made it happen.”

Tight end Dallas Goedert was as reliable as ever, pulling in all seven attempts for 44 yards. And Barkley chipped in with four catches for 24 yards. But for Brown to be virtually ignored was shocking, especially as the offense sputtered in the second half.

“I think they were just doing a really good job of matching things in coverage,” Hurts said. “There are some things we got to be better at and great job by him staying patient and in the big moment, making a play, the most important play of the game in my eyes.”

Brown’s lone catch came ahead of Hurts’ final-nail scramble. It was an 8-yard grab in which the receiver knowingly stayed inbounds to force Dallas to use its second timeout. A film review will help show if Hurts excessively missed Brown, but as the sign in the receiver’s locker stall says, he feels he’s “always open.”

“They shaded to my side a lot of times … but nothing I haven’t seen,” Brown said.

A year ago in the divisional-round playoff game vs. the Green Bay Packers, a camera caught Brown reading the self-help book, Inner Excellence, after he ran clear out route after clear out route. He had a knee injury and was mostly a decoy.

But that wasn’t the case eight months later. He said he was happy with the win, praised Hurts’ performance, and took the high road on the lack of targets.

“That’s something I can’t control,” Brown said. “But what I can control is my effort and when the ball do come my way.”

Of course, for the Eagles to be successful this season, “A.J.’s obviously going to have to be involved more in the offense,” Sirianni said. There’s plenty of time.

And there’s plenty more to clean up. Hurts said the operation with new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was orderly. The first half play-calling was inventive and diverse. But Brown and Smith’s non-involvement seemed to allow new Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus the opportunity to adjust his pressures with more stunts and blitzes.

A one-hour storm delay likely helped, but Fangio took advantage as well and pitched a second-half shutout. The third-quarter hiatus just added to the overall weirdness.

Jordan stayed through the long pause. Hurts said he hadn’t experienced a weather delay since high school. He took it in stride and stayed poised.

“It’s just about maintaining the championship-level focus,” Hurts said. “As I look back on it now, I don’t even remember it happening.”

Maybe he would say the same about the did-he or didn’t-he shrug. Hurts, who is part of the Nike Air brand, seemed to emulate Jordan’s moment from the 1992 NBA Finals three years ago vs. the Cowboys.

Whether he’s yet in that company or not, there’s nothing wrong with copying the best.

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