PHOENIX, Arizona — Patrick Mahomes already owns a Super Bowl ring and is arguably the most dominant quarterback currently in the NFL, but his opponent in the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, is an ascending star in his own right.
Hurts, who powered the Eagles to a 14-3 finish and an NFC Championship, while playing his way into the MVP conversation, aims to tie Mahomes’ championship total by hoisting Philadelphia’s second Lombardi Trophy in the last five years.
ESPN NFL reporter Sal Paolantonio believes there’s even more at stake for Hurts, when the Eagles take on the Chiefs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona in the 2023 Super Bowl.
“I think it’s the Super Bowl of Jalen Hurts,” Paolantonio said during a February 7 sit-down conversation with Heavy.
Jalen Hurts Has Taken on ‘CEO’ Role for Revamped Eagles Roster
Hurts completed a career-high 66.5% of his passes for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. Perhaps more impressively, the Eagles were 16-1 in games he started — regular season and playoffs combined — while rushing for a team-high 15 touchdowns.
“He’s 16-1 as a starter,” Paolantonio pointed out. “He has the chance to go 17-1, the only other quarterback to do that and win the Super Bowl was Joe Montana. So, if Jalen wins the Super Bowl and goes 17-1, that’s pretty rarefied air.
“The way [Hurts] has played this year, setting the record for rushing touchdowns, his completion percentage from the pocket is 72% … The way he handles himself, his bearing and his manner, he really is the CEO of the team.”
Philadelphia seems to have taken on the personality of its quarterback, in a similar fashion to how the Chiefs have rallied around Mahomes’ dominance over the past five seasons.
Hurts has already garnered the respect of Mahomes’ head coach, Andy Reid.
“First of all, Jalen’s a good kid, so he’s fit in very well with that team,” Reid told reporters at the Chiefs’ hotel. “He’s one of the leaders on that team, if not the main leader, and his play has proven out to be very, very good.”
Eagles Captain Makes It Known: ‘This Is Jalen’s Team Now’
There is little question, entering the biggest game of his life, that Hurts is the Eagles’ leader and face of the franchise.
“This is Jalen’s team now,” Eagles veteran and team captain Brandon Graham said on February 7 from the team’s hotel. “He’s coming up, and I”m just helping him, because this is his team.
“I’m on my way out, but he’s on the way up. Jalen is special, because he has a calm about him, even in the chaos.”
It doesn’t get much more chaotic than the Super Bowl. From the week leading up to the game, which presents its own set of distractions, to the magnitude of the moment, that can overwhelm even seasoned veterans.
However, Paolantonio believes Super Bowl Sunday will have a lasting impact on how Hurts is viewed among the game’s elite quarterbacks, long after the confetti swirls in the Arizona evening.
“I think Patrick Mahomes is an MVP candidate, and all that,” Paolantonio said. “But this is the game that will decide the legacy of Jalen Hurts, because you only get one crack at the first time.”
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