Jalen Hurts’ path to Tremendous Bowl glory actually was not a direct one.
Within the eight years main as much as his Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl LIX, Hurts endured greater than his share of challenges.
As a freshman beginning quarterback at Alabama, Hurts misplaced within the 2017 nationwide championship recreation to Clemson.
The next 12 months, Hurts was benched at halftime of the 2018 nationwide championship recreation, just for his backup, Tua Tagovailoa, to guide Alabama again from a 13-0 deficit to defeat Georgia.
As a junior, Hurts remained at Alabama as Tagovailoa’s backup. Hurts then transferred to Oklahoma, the place he completed second in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior in 2019.
The Eagles made Hurts a second-round draft choose in 2020, however even because the dual-threat quarterback discovered NFL success, he confronted scrutiny over his limitations as a passer and questions on his ceiling as a franchise quarterback.
Two years in the past, Hurts totaled 4 touchdowns in Tremendous Bowl LVII, however the Eagles misplaced to the Chiefs, 38-35.
It’s a journey Hurts describes as “unprecedented” — and it’s why the usually stoic quarterback flashed a smile as he mirrored on lastly reaching the top.
“I’m that same kid that went to the national championship and lost, and went back and got benched, and had to transfer, and had to go through this unprecedented journey,” Hurts, 26, stated after Sunday’s victory. “That kid always kept the main thing the main thing, and always was true to his vision.”
Hurts was named the MVP of Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl after finishing 17-of-22 cross makes an attempt for 221 yards, two touchdowns and an interception whereas including 72 dashing yards and a landing on 11 carries.
His tush-push landing run on the Eagles’ second possession opened the sport’s scoring, whereas his 46-yard landing bomb to DeVonta Smith put Philadelphia up, 34-0, late within the third quarter, serving because the dagger.
Hurts did it on a day Eagles operating again Saquon Barkley, the NFL’s Offensive Participant of the 12 months and the focus of the Philly offense, managed solely 57 dashing yards on 25 carries.
“I find it funny when it’s like, ‘Jalen is good but he’s got a good team around him.’ That’s football,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni stated after Sunday’s win.
“You cannot be great without the greatness of others. Jalen can’t do it by himself. He needs A.J. [Brown]. He needs that offensive line. He needs Saquon and vice versa. The reason Saquon has a special year [is not] only the offensive line, but the attention that Jalen commands for the run game. Jalen’s special.”
Hurts completed second in NFL MVP voting for the 2022 season, after which he signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension.
However exterior criticism had crept again in throughout the two years since.
After beginning the 2023 season with a 10-1 document, the Eagles misplaced six of their ultimate seven video games, together with a 32-9 blowout by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers within the wild-card spherical of the playoffs.
Stories emerged of a strained relationship between Hurts and Sirianni.
This common season, Hurts threw for a pedestrian 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 video games. The Eagles’ lack of passing-game firepower grew to become a nationwide speaking level, at the same time as Hurts scored 14 dashing touchdowns and Barkley flirted with single-season historical past by operating for two,005 yards.
However Hurts returned to kind throughout the Eagles’ playoff run. He totaled 10 touchdowns — 5 passing and 5 dashing — in Philadelphia’s 4 video games and accomplished 71.4% of his passes.
Three of his dashing touchdowns got here in a 55-23 drubbing of the Washington Commanders within the NFC Championship Sport.
On Sunday, Hurts carved up a Chiefs protection that was among the many NFL’s greatest all season and that made life tough for Houston’s C.J. Stroud and Buffalo’s Josh Allen in Kansas Metropolis’s different two playoff video games.
Hurts bested Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Tremendous Bowl champion who threw two interceptions Sunday. His Chiefs have been shut out till there was lower than a minute remaining within the third quarter.
By lastly profitable on the most important stage, Hurts authored one other chapter in his up-and-down story — one which immortalizes him as a Tremendous Bowl champion.
“It’s been a fun ride, and I’ve embraced every step,” Damage stated. “I took great pride in never backing down from a challenge, always turning my negatives into positives, turning my weaknesses and making them my strengths. It’s taken great effort and determination to evolve my game over time and just continue to grow and improve.”
