Jalen Hurts didn’t have his most impressive game as the Philadelphia Eagles fell 23-19 to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round on Jan. 11 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Hurts went 20-for-35 on his pass attempts for 168 passing yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 79.2. Moreover, he rushed for 14 yards on five carries.
With the Eagles now out of the playoffs, former NFL tight end Luke Wilson didn’t hold back his thoughts on Hurts’ underwhelming performance against the Niners.
“Brock Purdy [did have] two picks, which I thought he was responsible for both of them,” Wilson said on the Jan. 11 edition of TSN’s SportsCentre. “Other than that, this guy played wildly clean. A pair of touchdowns, 262 yards, made big plays, delivered the ball where they needed to be in a swirling night, and made a few plays with his feet.
“Jalen Hurts looked lost for most of the second half [and] could not get anything going. Yes, there [were] a few drops by A.J. Brown. You could add that up, not on him. But I look at this performance, and I say, ‘If you’re a $50 million guy, $50 schmil plus, you have to play better than that at home in the playoff.'”
Jalen Hurts Talks Eagles Loss to 49ers
Moreover, Hurts spoke to reporters after the loss, reflecting on what the team did wrong, as they were unable to defend their Super Bowl title with a deep playoff run.
“I think it’s always hard to duplicate,” Hurts said (h/t FOX Sports). “Everything was there in front of us. Just got to really, really, really improve from it. Obviously, we all could have executed better, but it takes everyone being honest with themselves on that and challenging themselves to grow from it.”
Richard Sherman Reacts to 49ers Advancing Past Eagles
Despite being on the road and already losing George Kittle to an Achilles tendon injury, the 49ers could have folded against the reigning Super Bowl champions. However, after overcoming so many injuries, the Niners again showed their mental toughness and secured the victory.
After the 49ers defeated the Eagles, former Niners cornerback Richard Sherman didn’t hold back his thoughts on San Francisco’s performance, considering Philadelphia had all its starters.
“Eagles played with almost all of their day 1 starters available,” Sherman wrote on X on Jan. 11. “The 49ers came in without so many of their starters, and they just continue to find a way. Great performance by the 49ers’ defense! Eric Kendricks’ impact was felt all game, but never more than that last play! Veterans feel all game long. Sound tackling and poise!”
The 49ers will now face the Seattle Seahawks for a third time this season, with the winner of this divisional round matchup heading to the NFC title game. It will be interesting to see how this matchup unfolds, but with three NFC West teams in the divisional round, whoever comes out of this Seahawks-49ers game could face a familiar foe in the Los Angeles Rams, who are facing the Chicago Bears in the other matchup.
Jalen Hurts Under Fire After Eagles’ Loss to 49ers