After turning in his best game of the season in the Philadelphia Eagles' massive 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders, Jalen Hurts became the first quarterback in franchise history to lead his team to the Super Bowl twice in his career.
With the “straight jacket” removed, Hurts unloaded the clip on the Commanders, completing 20 of his 28 passing attempts for 246 yards and a passing touchdown to go with 10 runs for 16 yards and three more rushing touchdowns while masterfully picking apart a Dan Quinn defense he's seen more than any other at the NFL level.
Now set to represent the NFC East, the NFC period, and the vast majority of the football rooting world against the Kansas City Chiefs and their pursuit of the three-peat, how does it feel to return to the biggest game in sports? Well, in his media session after the game, Hurts broke down the experience, noting that his team has a mission, and the guys needed to execute it in the pursuit of another parade down Broad Street.
“Hard to say right now. Hard to say right now. I just think you have to give a ton of gratitude. These are my personal testimonies, and I know my personal perspective is not always a reflection of what is most important to the team and what we’re trying to do as a team because every team is different. So then clearly, as a team, the mission is to go take advantage of the opportunities we present ourselves with,” Jalen Hurts told reporters.
“But also I have my history and the things that I’ve experienced that I can use as tools to help those around me and help myself. And so a lot of this stuff is presented to us, and we all have that plateau to learn from all of our experiences. And a lot of guys that have not experienced some of these things got a lot of guys that, from these Georgia guys that have made a big impact on our team, to the young defensive backs that we’ve had. And not everyone was a part of that, but that’s why everyone, that’s why every team is different, and every year is new. So there’s been a sense of togetherness for us to all come together and try to achieve the ultimate team goal. And we’ve done a great job of that to this point of being able to put ourselves in this position.”
Is this year's Eagles team better than the 2022 version that lost to the Chiefs by three in February of 2023? Do you know what? Yes, it probably is, and with an influx of young, hungry players, including some with National Championship game experience of their own like Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Jordan Davis, who knows, maybe this is the year Philadelphia puts it all together and gets where they want to be? Considering how the NFC Championship game shook out offensively, I certainly wouldn't bet against Hurts and company.
