Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is tired of hearing the negativity about quarterback Jalen Hurts. And following the Eagles' 55-23 drubbing of the Washington Commanders in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, he was ready to fire back.
“How 'bout our quarterback,” Sirianni asked during the NFC trophy presentation. “He's a stud. I knew he was going to play that way, I knew it. Don't doubt him. All he does is win.”
Hurts, who has been a divisive figure in sports media, was called “horrendous outside the pocket” by ESPN analyst and former New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, according to ESPN's Joe Schad.
In Sunday's victory, Hurts went 20-for-28 through the air for 246 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for three more scores, matching his explosive teammate, Saquon Barkley, in that category. Most importantly, Hurts didn't turn the ball over while watching the Commanders put the ball on the ground three times.
Jalen Hurts continues his winning ways in Philadelphia
Since entering the league in 2020 out of Oklahoma (via Alabama), Hurts is 49-27-1 as a starter for the Eagles. He's led Philadelphia to four straight playoff appearances and now his second NFC championship victory while continuing to cycle through skill players on offense.
On Sunday, Hurts ran past Steve Young's record for most rushing touchdowns in a single postseason, scoring his ninth during the contest. But that wasn't the only record Hurts set or tied in the victory.
According to CBS Sports, Hurts became the first player in NFL history to have multiple games with 1+ passing touchdowns and 3+ rushing touchdowns in a playoff game. He also tied his own record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a playoff game, while tying LeGarrette Blount for most games by a player with 3+ rushing touchdowns in the playoffs (two).
While Hurts continues to add ground game records, Sirianni recently told reporters that he's aware of how much Hurts runs and plans to do whatever necessary to keep the quarterback healthy.
“We try to put Jalen in safe situations,” Sirianni said. “We want him to put himself in safe situations. We understand that there are a lot of things that Jalen does in the running game that help us run the football. As we go through it, we do whatever we've got to do to win the game. But his safety is always at the forefront of our mind.”
