If you know anything about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, then you’ll understand why what you’re about to read next is kind of what he lives for.
In a conversation with The Athletic’s Mike Sando for an article ranking NFC Super Bowl contenders, an anonymous NFL executive went out of his way to diss Hurts in a conversation about Philadelphia’s offense. The executive did it in the context of a comparison to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
“”(Jared) Goff, when he is going and they are going downhill, is difficult to deal with, and of course, Stafford is that way too,” the executive told Sando on November 10. “But I don’t feel that way about Jalen Hurts.”
Hurts, who has played arguably the 2 greatest games of his career in the 2 Super Bowls he’s played in, has made a point of letting doubts fuel his career.
He’s also made a point of winning lots and lots of games, including almost every time he’s played teams with Goff and Stafford on them.
Hurts’ Incredible Record Against 2 QBs
Going back to his first season as a full time starter in 2021, Hurts is 6-1 in games against teams quarterbacked by Stafford and Goff, with his only loss a 27-24 defeat at the hands of Stafford and the Rams in 2021.
Hurts is currently on a 4-game winning streak against Goff and Stafford, including a playoff win over the Rams on the way to winning Super Bowl LIX last season.
Hurts, who signed a 5-year, $255 million contract extension in April 2023, 52-22-0 as Philadelphia’s starter dating back to his rookie season in 2020.
The Eagles are 6-2 to start 2025 and headed into a Week 11 Monday Night Football showdown against the Green Bay Packers.
One of NFL’s Toughest Players of All Time
Few players can get a heated football debate going like Hurts.
Bleacher Reportâs Brad Gagnon singled Hurts out as the NFLâs âMost Polarizing Playerâ headed into 2025.
âYou have to look beyond the traditional raw passing numbers,â Gagnon wrote on July 18. âHurts has proved to be a clutch playmaker, his arm often still gets the job done and his remarkable productivity as a rusher makes up for the odd failure through the air.â
While the debate over where Hurts lands in the hierarchy of NFL quarterbacks will probably continue as long as his career does, you will probably never find another quarterback who is as mentally tough.
For Hurts, the son of a Texas high school football coach, a lot of that goes back to a moment that would have broken most quarterbacks â when he was benched at halftime of the College Football Playoff National Championship game and watched his backup, current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, rally Alabama to a win over SEC rival Georgia in overtime.
Hurts, who was 23-1 as the starter and named SEC Offensive Player of the Year before he was benched, stayed at Alabama as Tagovailoaâs backup for another season.
He joined Oklahoma as a graduate transfer in 2019, where he led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff semifinals, was named an All-American and taken by the Eagles in the second round (No. 53 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft.
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