Eagles’ Jalen Hurts proved vs. Giants he can lead a Super Bowl run, no matter how his shoulder feels
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PHILADELPHIA – Jalen Hurts didn’t want to talk about his shoulder early Sunday morning, less than an hour after he had helped the Eagles destroy the Giants 38-17 in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
Hurts was asked about it several times. But every answer was a variation of the terse, two-words he used when asked about it the first time.
“Good enough,” Hurts said.
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Hurts and his shoulder were more than good enough against the Giants. And with their dominant win the MVP candidate sent a message the rest of the league: he doesn’t have to be at 100 percent to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl.
Hurts wasn’t saying if his shoulder was healthy, or if it was still bothering him. His main point seemed to be that it didn’t matter.
“I don’t know,” Hurts said when another question about how he felt physically. “I think it was just the mental approach of getting it done, and we got it done.”
Hurts and the Eagles certainly did get it done. Although, there were signs during the week and words from his teammates after Saturday’s game, that strongly suggest Hurts is not at 100 percent.
Early in Wednesday’s practice, the offensive skill position players went through a ball security drill as staffers with boxing gloves on sticks reached out and tried to knock the ball out. The gloves were used aggressively on every player, but as Hurts ran through the gauntlet they didn’t come within five feet of him.
On its own, that’s not all that remarkable. But when you combine it with the words of Hurts’ teammates, it starts to paint a picture.
“Jalen – I never really questioned, when it comes down to it, if he was at 50(%), 60,” tight end Dallas Goedert said. “He was going to play like he was at 100. That was something that never even crossed my mind. I knew he was good all along. I knew he was going … to do whatever it takes.”
“Seemed like the old Jalen to me,” running back Miles Sanders said. “I’m not going to lie. Just proud of him. He asks everybody for their best, and we’re going to do that just for him because he gives us our best.”
Hurts set the tone with his first throw of the game, a perfect 40-yard pass to DeVonta Smith.
When asked about what Hurts showed his team about the health of the shoulder with that early throw, Smith steered clear.
“Most of the game is mental for him,” he said. “so even when he was hurt he was still doing his mental reps and all things like that, so it didn’t surprise me at all.
It was a throw that obviously ignited the offense. Dallas Goedert scored a few plays later to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead after their first possession.
But it also meant a lot to the defense.
“It’s just a spark, man, it gives us energy,” pass rusher Haason Reddick, who finished with 1.5 sacks, both on the defense’s first drive, said. “They went down and scored. And now we’re like, ‘Hey, it’s our time to go get a stop.’ And we did. It’s just energy, man. We feed off them. They feed off us.”
And he finished off the Giants with a touchdown run just before halftime to give the Eagles 28-0 lead.
In the end, Hurts finished the game with numbers that are pedestrian by the high standard he set this season: 16-of-24 for 154 yards, two touchdowns and nine carries for 34 yards with a rushing touchdown. But that’s what made this performance even scarier for Dallas or San Francisco and the remaining teams in the AFC: Hurts didn’t have to be 100 percent to help the Eagles stomp the Giants and spark his teammates with his relentless focus on competing the job ahead – no matter the obstacle.
“To have him out there,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “I know this is high praise … I shouldn’t even go there – it’s like having Michael Jordan out there. He’s your leader. He’s your guy.
“Hopefully that’s the biggest respect I can pay to him comparing his ability to being on the field to a Michael Jordan type. This guy leads. He brings this calmness to the entire team. He plays great football. He’s as tough as they come.”
Hurts obviously has to continue to back it up for that praise to ring true, but it gives an idea of the impression his laser-like focus has left on his teammates.
Hurts didn’t look or sound satisfied after Saturday’s win, instead he carried himself with the confidence of a man who expected this result and has already started thinking about what he must do to make sure he’s ready for the next challenge: the Eagles will host the winner of Sunday’s Cowboys/49ers game on Jan. 29 in the NFC Championship game.
Hurts wasn’t above a little postgame gloating at the expense of the Giants. Several Eagles mentioned that it rubbed them the wrong way when the Giants seemed a little too happy about the opportunity to face them again after the win over Minnesota. It was clearly a talking point in the locker room before the game and after it, and their leader, who chooses his words carefully, made sure everyone else, including the Giants, knew it.
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“We’re not just hungry for it, we’re starving,” Hurts said. “For growth, for getting better and learning from our mistakes. I think that’s a beautiful thing and that was a little motivation as a team. We wanted to come out and play our best ball. Sometimes you’ve got to be careful what you wish for.”
And as Hurts walked off the stage, it sure felt as if he was sending a message to whoever the Eagles end up playing next.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached at avasquez@njadvancemedia.com.
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New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) and quarterback Daniel Jones (8) walk off the field after the Giants turned the ball over on downs to the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 in Philadelphia.
© Andrew Mills/nj.com/TNS