Eagles’ Nick Sirianni says having Jalen Hurts is ‘like having Michael Jordan out there’ after playoff win

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has had a great season and Saturday’s divisional game against the New York Giants was not an exception. The Eagles offense was rolling from the start, scoring a touchdown on their first two drives and scoring 28 unanswered points.

A lot of the offensive success is thanks to the leadership and talent of Hurts, who emerged as an MVP candidate before injuring his shoulder in Week 15. Head coach Nick Sirianni knows he has a star for a quarterback and gave the 24-year-old one of the highest compliments you can give in sports following the Eagles’ 38-7 victory.

“To have him out there is like — I know this is high praise, but to have him out there is like having — I shouldn’t even go there — it’s like having Michael Jordan out there,” Sirianni said, via NBC. “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. Yeah, I mean, to me, nobody has played any better football than him this year.”

Being compared to the GOAT is certainly high praise.

Hurts helped lead the team to a convincing 38-7 win over the Giants to advance to the NFC Championship Game. He went 16-for-24 for 154 yards, with two passing touchdowns as well as nine carries for 34 yards and one rushing touchdown. 

Hurts was sidelined Weeks 16 and 17 due to an SC joint sprain in his right throwing arm. After the divisional win said he felt “good enough” physically. 

The team earned the No. 1 seed in the conference, after they finished the season 14-3. Through 15 games, Hurts has 3,701 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, six interceptions, a completion percentage of 66.5, 165 rushes for 760 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, 

The Eagles will face the winner of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the conference championship.