When Jalen Hurts is at his absolute best, he can win a game with his arms or legs. We learned this weekend in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 38-7 rout of the New York Giants that Hurts can orchestrate a win for his team without being close to his peak because of a shoulder injury suffered late in the season. It was a performance that few quarterbacks could have managed, and it was one that has set the Eagles up to host the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday in the NFC Championship game.
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Jalen Hurts Was Perfect Efficient
Some have said that this was Hurts’ version of the classic Michael Jordan flu game where he led the Chicago Bulls to an NBA Finals victory over the Utah Jazz in 1997 despite being stricken with the virus. This isn’t a terrible analogy, but to me, there is another comparable sporting win through an injury.
The 2018 NRL Grand Final saw the Sydney City Roosters beat the Melbourne Storm 21-6. These two teams in Australia’s National Rugby League play a brutal version of rugby that is 13 vs. 13 on the field. Cronk, the Roosters’ star player – played the entire 80 minutes of the contest through injury. No one knew exactly what the injury was at the time, but it was revealed soon after the match that he had played – and made nine tackles – with a broken shoulder blade.
Hurts and Cronk played their creative games in win-or-done scenarios. Each pared down their game to the bare bones, yet each did everything a leader should ensure their team won. Hurts – a player that can put up 300 yards passing or 100 rushing in his sleep – passed for just 154 yards and ran for 34 more. Hurts knew what he needed to be for his Eagles to beat the Giants, and he was exactly that on the day.
The 31-point win says more about Hurts than when the Eagles have won close games with him producing big stat lines. He was in control from minute one, doing everything he needed – and exactly nothing more – to win the game while protecting himself for what is to come next week. His 24 pass attempts allowed Miles Sanders, Kenny Gainwell, and Boston Scott to take over on the ground. It was a classic class of players stepping up their production, but Hurts – and his threat with arm and legs – was the key cog that kept things moving.
The 49ers are next, and Hurts will need to do more than he did against the Giants. With a place in the Super Bowl on the line and a bye week between, it will be interesting to see just how much Jalen has in his both on Sunday.
Always remember folks to bleed Eagles’ green, and Fly Hurts Fly!
