Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had never been sacked seven times in a game before Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams accomplished that, but Hurts and the Eagles still came away with a 28-22 victory in a NFC second-round game.
Hurts seemed to come away with something else, too – an injury.
The former Alabama signal-caller was slow to get up after a sack on the final play of the first half and late to come out of the locker room for the second half. After a third-quarter sack, Hurts made a trip to the sideline medical tent and returned with a brace on his left knee.
So the first question at Hurts’ postgame press conference inquired about his knee.
“A tough game, a challenging game,” Hurts said. “I was able to finish the game. We’ll see how the week goes.”
If that sparks worry among Philadelphia fans, Hurts said he was confident he would play when the Eagles square off against the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game at 2 p.m. CST Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The winner of the game will play in Super Bowl LIX.
“This what you work for,” Hurts said. “This is what all of our energy, all of my energy has been geared towards.”
The Eagles defeated the Rams behind three long touchdown runs and two fourth-quarter fumbles.
Hurts opened the scoring with a 44-yard run on the sixth snap of the game. Running back Saquon Barkley scored on a 62-yard run as Philadelphia took a 13-7 lead with 1:07 left in the first quarter and a 78-yard run as the Eagles went up 28-15 with 4:36 to play.
“We love to start out fast some type of way, get some explosives and pop some big-time explosive plays in the second half,” Hurts said. “I think Saquon has been tremendous at that. Rain, sleet or snow, he’s been able to pound, pound, pound and then take it off. That was fun. That was cute, I’d say, just being able to pop it off first for once. …
“Saquon needed a break, so I told him I’d do it first.”
Barkley’s second touchdown made it three possessions in a row with points for Philadelphia after the Rams cut the lead to 16-15 by sacking Hurts in the end zone for a safety with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.
A Los Angeles fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter put the Eagles at the Rams 10-yard line. Philadelphia settled for a field goal after Hurts’ fourth-down TD sneak was nullified by a false-start penalty.
Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford lost a fumble on sack at the Rams 38-yard line on the next possession. Hurts had a 9-yard completion to wide receiver AJ Brown on fourth-and-4 as Philadelphia added another field goal to its lead.
“It was a game where there were some blows thrown on each side,” Hurts said. “Our defense showed up, and they were able to turn the ball over in crucial moments. I think that’s always a hidden secret, a hidden gem is winning the turnover battle, and we were able to do that. We’ve been able to do that. That’s been a big reason why we’ve been winning a lot of games.”
Hurts completed 15-of-20 passes for 128 yards with no touchdowns (although Brown dropped a pass at the goal line) and no interceptions (for the eighth game in a row) and ran for 70 yards on seven carries.
“Our performance today was enough to win,” Hurts said. “But enough is never enough in terms of the standards we have for ourselves and what we want to do. And so there’s always a hunger, there’s always a drive for more, and this urge to continue to improve, and that’s how it’ll continue to be. When you play the game, it’s about improving. But the No. 1 thing in playoff ball is winning and finding ways to win the game.”
The game was played in the snow, with the intensity increasing as the game progressed.
“It was a new experience,” Hurts said. “Definitely, the next time that happens, I’ll be able to look back and pull from this game and be better from it. …
“I think if you have the right mental approach, they’re all the same. It all bounces back on your preparation and how you prepared. The conditions are different in each game.”
