Addressing the Hurts Hate: Why the Eagles Quarterback is Simply Different

The Eagles are Super Bowl LIX Champions and Jalen Hurts, despite all the talk that he can’t throw the ball, won MVP.

Hurts went the entire year taking criticism from the media for not dazzling in the passing game but yet did twice what many quarterbacks haven’t done even once.

Get to the Super Bowl.

Hurts gets way too much hate for a quarterback who seems to do nothing but win.

Best running game in the league

In a blockbuster deal this past offseason, Saquon Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract, becoming a new key piece of the already high-powered offense.

D’Andre Swift, Barkley’s predecessor in Philadelphia was a solid running back but didn’t have the home run ability that Saquon displayed time and time again.

Barkley ran for a league-high seven 60+ yard touchdowns this year through the regular season and postseason, also setting the record for most yards in a single season behind arguably the best offensive line in football.

To be frank, Hurts struggled early in the year and looked scrambled at times, averaging 33 pass attempts and an interception per game through his first four.

After the team’s bye week in week 5 though, the Eagles changed their offensive scheme to a ground attack as opposed to an air attack and never looked back.

Why would you try to worry about getting your quarterback gaudy stats when you have the best running back and offensive line in the league?

In the regular season, Barkley averaged 3.8 yards before contact per carry, which is almost two more yards than the average.

Add in Hurts' ability to run himself, giving the defense another factor to focus on while trying to manage Barkley and the stud pass catchers. Hurts totaled 630 rushing yards this year on top of Saquon’s 2,554.

Hurts is the ultimate “team player”

When talking heads in the media and fans looking to create the next big “hot take” look at Jalen Hurts’ stats, they are misguided. The main argument against Hurts is that he is not truly a quarterback, as many often remark “Not bad for a running back” whenever the Eagles’ Quarterback performs well.

Watching this championship season, it was clear that the Philly star's typical stat line of 60% completion rate, 200 yards, and one or two touchdowns was not representative of his overall play.

In 2024, the Eagles' defense led the league in total yards allowed and ranked second in total defense only behind the Chargers. With the elite play of breakout linebacker Zack Baun and young studs like Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, the role of the Philadelphia offense shifted.

Even with top pass catchers AJ Brown, Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, the Birds limped to a 2-2 record through four games before reaching their much-needed bye week. In Week 6, they slipped past the hobbled Browns before ripping off 10 more wins in a row.

The key to this streak was the integration of the “ground and pound” mentality. With a top defense, the Eagles' offense was able to complement it. The top priorities were possessing the ball, not making mistakes, and wearing down the opponent.

Due to this, Hurts was not expected to run an air-raid offense, dishing out big plays left and right, but instead a simple and efficient game plan. The perfect example of this came in Super Bowl LIX. On the biggest stage, the NFC Champion figurehead spearheaded a dominant performance, only to emerge with an average passing stat line.

Any casual would see his line and think, “He didn’t deserve MVP,” but for those who watched intently, it was clear that Hurts’ impact was (and always will be) more than the numbers.

Hurts knows how to win

Hurts has won at every level starting from high school and now all the way to the NFL. He didn’t have an easy path to getting there either.

Hurts was benched in the National Championship for Tua Tagovailoa and basically sent away after Tua got the comeback win for Alabama. Hurts then transferred.

Hurts moved to Oklahoma where he instantly became the starter after Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray were drafted into the NFL.

Hurts added a Heisman to his trophy case in 2019, and got drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft to be a backup to Carson Wentz.

When Wentz’s career derailed in Philadelphia, he became a starter where he has helped the team to four straight playoff appearances and two Super Bowl appearances in three years.

Hurts is 45-17 in his regular-season starts since he became the official starter in 2021.

He has shown the will to do whatever it takes to win. He was a league MVP runner-up in 2022-23 but has fallen perfectly into letting the offense funnel through the running back.

He also showed he still has that MVP caliber from ‘22-’23 when he was questioned about his ability to throw the ball. In a week 14 matchup against the Steelers, the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl, he played his best games as a passer.

He may never be a Josh Allen or a Lamar Jackson who will put up 4,000 passing yards and 40 touchdowns, but he does what it takes to win.

He knows how to step up when the moment calls for it, but knows how to let his teammates take the game over when he isn’t on his game.

Luke Armstrong is a first-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact him, email lea5382@psu.edu.

Tristan Kunec is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email tqk5432@psu.edu.