Jalen Hurts came into the NFC Championship Game under a lot of pressure. The Philadelphia Eagles were winning games due to Saquon Barkley’s brilliance, but the team’s quarterback’s inconsistency left many doubting Philadelphia’s chances of winning the Super Bowl.
The 26-year-old quarterback silenced all his critics with a sensational performance with the 55-23 win against the Washington Commanders. The Eagles’ star also broke Steve Young’s record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the playoffs.
Fans React to Jalen Hurts Breaking Steve Young’s Record
In the win against the Commanders, Hurts completed 71.4% of his throws for 246 yards, one touchdown, no turnovers, and had a passer rating of 110.1. He rushed for three touchdowns and passed Young (nine rushing touchdowns) to write his name in the history books.
The Eagles quarterback now has rushed for nine touchdowns in eight playoff games and will look to add more to his tally in the Super Bowl. Here’s how some of the fans praised him on social media for breaking Young’s record:
I remember some people giving me crap for saying I would take Jalen Hurts today over Jayden Daniels… I’ll accept all apologies. Like I said, gimme Hurts TODAY, but that may change in the next few years as Daniels gains more experience. pic.twitter.com/19ad5qcSzQ
— Tim Juhas (@TimJuhas) January 26, 2025
“The haters are in disbelief,” said a fan.
Another fan added, “#JalenHurts and #SaquonBarkley, the dynamic duo!”
Jalen Hurts is laughing at all of the haters! FLY EAGLES FLY
— IMOSportsTV (@IM0SportsTV) January 26, 2025
“All my QB Does is win,” said an Eagles fan.
“[Hurts] Passes Joe Burrow for best 2020 QB drafted,” wrote one fan.
Ppl hating on us all year … it's crazy the best way to shut a hater up is to show up, and show out!!! 💪😤😤😤😤 https://t.co/ynDguQm1vy
— BartIzPRIME (@BartIzPRIME) January 26, 2025
Some might say Hurts’ breaking the record is just because of how good his offensive line is and their excellence in scoring through the “Tush Push.” However, it is very hard for anyone to have a high conversion rate on such plays, and if it had been easy, the other teams in the league would have tried to do it as well.
Hurts has put in the work to make himself resilient enough to execute the Tush Push at a high rate while avoiding injuries. He is now rewarded for his efforts, but it will be interesting to see how long the Eagles quarterback will hold the record, as Josh Allen has just two fewer rushing touchdowns than him in the postseason.
Hurts Is Now 5–3 in the Playoffs
As mentioned earlier, Hurts has been criticized a lot this season for his play. But in reality, he is just doing what the team asks him to do. The Eagles have prioritized running the ball with Barkley, and that has brought them success.
Hurts is now 5-3 in the playoffs and will make his second Super Bowl appearance. Given he was the 53rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Oklahoma product has exceeded expectations and has proved that he is the right quarterback for the Eagles.
In eight playoff games, Hurts has thrown for 1,592 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions, completing 65.8% of his throws with a passer rating of 93.1. He has been a great performer in the postseason and played the best game of his career in the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023.
The Eagles could have a chance to avenge that loss against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl this season if the defending champions get past the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
The current Eagles team is much better than the team Kansas City defeated two seasons ago, as they are much better defensively under Vic Fangio. Hurts and Nick Sirianni winning a Super Bowl after all the criticism they dealt with throughout the season would certainly be a great story for the game of football.