Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
It wasn’t enough to get the Eagles a win, but Hurts balled out.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named MVP of Super Bowl LVII, but the award could very well have gone to his Philadelphia Eagles counterpart: Jalen Hurts was outstanding, even though his team eventually lost with a final score of 38-35.
The Eagles’ third-year QB was arguably the best player on the field on Sunday. Not only did he go 27-for-38 for 304 yards and a touchdown throwing the football, he also gained 70 yards on 15 carries while finding the end zone three times. Additionally, he crossed the plane on a two-point conversion.
Hurts’ performance was one for the record books. His rushing and touchdown totals are both new single-game Super Bowl highs for a quarterback.
He became the new owner of the rushing record for QBs in the third quarter, surpassing the previous mark set by the late Steve McNair in Super Bowl XXXIV. McNair gained 64 yards on eight carries in the Tennessee Titans’ loss to the St. Louis Rams.
Hurts, meanwhile, had 66 yards and two touchdowns through three quarters of play against the Chiefs. He only added to his numbers in the fourth period.
The third-year quarterback being dangerous with the ball in his hands is, of course, nothing new. He already had an appreciation for dual-threat quarterbacks growing up, modeling his game after former Eagles quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick, among others.
“When I got drafted to Philly, it felt like, I don’t know, destiny,” Hurts told The Philadelphia Inquirer back in August. “I’ve definitely modeled my game in different ways around all of them over the years as I’ve grown and as I kind of hold this torch up of being the next dual-threat African American quarterback in Philly and knowing what that means to them and to this franchise. It’s important to me.”
His potential as an all-around player at the quarterback position was a major selling point of his coming out of college as well, and he only kept building on his foundation over his three years in the pros. The 2022 season, his second in head coach Nick Sirianni’s offense, was his best so far.
Hurts gained 760 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns during the regular season, and added 73 more yards and two scores in Philadelphia’s previous two postseason games against New York and San Francisco — all while setting new career-high numbers as a passer as well.
He kept his best for last, although it was ultimately not enough to lead Philadelphia to its second ever Vince Lombardi Trophy. A fumble that was returned for a touchdown played a part in the defeat, as did an unfortunate officiating decision.
Nonetheless, Hurts’ abilities as a runner and passer were a big reason why the Eagles became one of the best teams in the NFL in the first place — and why they were able to advance to the Super Bowl and fight the Chiefs to the final whistle. They did come up short, yes, but Hurts will also keep them in contention for the foreseeable future.
And — who knows? — maybe he will pick up that MVP award at one point after all.
