Jalen Hurts fantastic for Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl debut
Despite the best efforts of former Oklahoma Sooners QB Jalen Hurts, the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII 38-35. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes ended up capturing his second Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl MVP to go with his second NFL MVP Award.
Hurts was involved in each of Philadelphia’s touchdowns, with three on the ground and one a 45-yard bomb to A.J. Brown. His three rushing touchdowns were a Super Bowl record for a quarterback.
The throw to Brown was an absolute dime into the end zone. He put it in a spot and put enough loft on the ball to give Brown the ability to work through the double coverage he faced. Brown made a terrific play on the ball.
Jalen Hurts gave AJ Brown a chance deep and Brown came down with it for a 42-yard TD.
Worth every penny. Every draft pick. What a beast.pic.twitter.com/LPhvfwV9fx
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 13, 2023
And then there was this one.
Jalen Hurts threads the needle to Dallas Goedert! 🤯pic.twitter.com/Yh6arvXG3n
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 13, 2023
The throw to tight end Dallas Goedert was a huge throw in its own right. Goedert, like Brown, faced double coverage on the play, and Hurts put it just over the outstretched arms of the defender and Goedert made a great catch on the play as well.
Hurts did gift the Chiefs’ defense with a score after his fumble was scooped up and returned for a touchdown by linebacker Nick Bolton. Even after that fumble, the Eagles didn’t lose faith in their signal-caller.
Despite the fumble, Hurts was incredible. He went toe-to-toe with the best quarterback in the league, erasing doubts about his ability to lead a team as a passer. In the biggest game of his career, Jalen Hurts played big. He completed 27 of 38 attempts for 304 yards and a touchdown through the air. And he was just as deadly on the ground, carrying the ball 15 times for 70 yards and three touchdowns.
The Eagles’ ability to convert in short-yardage and fourth down situations was a huge factor in the game as well. There’s no better player in short yardage than Jalen Hurts at this point. We’ve known about his running ability for some time, but on Sunday night, the world got to see Hurts thrive as a passer.
Hurts did everything he could for his Eagles team to come out on top as Super Bowl Champions. Unfortunately, he didn’t get one more opportunity to respond to Kansas City’s final drive that took five minutes of play off the clock.
And after the loss, Jalen reflected on his first Super Bowl experience as a moment that he’ll cherish and learn from as he continues his NFL journey.
“You want to cherish these moments,” Hurts shared with the media. “You want to cherish these moments with the people that you come so far with. You know, your family, your loved ones, your teammates, your peers, everyone that you do it with and do it for. And I’m so proud of this team. You know, I will say I’m so proud of this team for everything that we’ve been able to overcome.
“Obviously, we had a big-time goal in the end that we wanted to accomplish, and we came up short. You know, I think the beautiful part about it is everyone experiences different pains. Everyone experiences different agonies of life, but you decide if you want to learn from it. You decide if you want to use that to be a teachable moment, and I know what I do.”
Knowing Jalen Hurts like Alabama, Sooners, and Eagles fans do, he’ll continue to grind, looking for ways further to improve his game after an MVP-type season for Philadelphia.
Hurts enters this offseason eligible for a contract extension for the first time in his career. With the season he’s had, the former Sooner is due for a massive payday.
The top nine quarterback contracts hold an average annual value of $40 million a year or more. Aaron Rodgers leads the way at just over $50 million a year. Hurts is set to be paid just over $4 million in 2023. It’s fair to say, after the season Hurts and the Eagles have had, he’s due a deal that pays him at least $40 million a year. But his agent will have an argument for making him the highest-paid player in the NFL after his Super Bowl performance.
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