There’s Jalen Hurts, standing there with that rare, slightly embarrassed smile on his face—like someone just caught him stealing cookies but also nailed a game-winning touchdown right after. That smile happens when Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni belts out, “All he does is win!” after a crushing NFC Championship victory. And Sirianni? He ain’t just spouting clichés like some motivational Instagram meme. No, when he says Hurts only wins, the man’s spitting nothing but cold, hard truth.
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Look, I get it. Jalen Hurts has been the national pastime for doubt and second-guessing since Day One. Heck, you could bottle that skepticism and sell it as the official Philly sports condiment. Yet the numbers? They’re about as obvious as a neon sign flashing “WINNER” over his head. An 89-27 combined starting record in college and the NFL? That’s the kind of consistency you frame, dust carefully, and shove next to trophies. Except there’s one glaring absence: the Super Bowl ring. The Holy Grail. The ultimate proof that you belong in the pantheon.
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This year, the mission’s crystal clear: snag that ring. The stage? New Orleans, February 9th. The protagonists? Hurts and the Eagles (fresh off a 17-3 dismantling to seize the NFC) face none other than the unstoppable Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (who are cruising with a 17-2 record). It’s the classic heavyweight showdown we’ve been waiting for since the dawn of shoulder pads.
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Remember that Super Bowl two years ago? Hurts was a man on fire—304 passing yards, a legit touchdown, plus an eye-popping 70 rushing yards with three rushing touchdowns to boot. If you blinked, you missed an epic ledge-walking tightrope act that was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. But then: the fumble. That fumble returned for a touchdown? Like a little gremlin sneaking into his highlight reel. That misstep turned the tide and handed the Chiefs a 38-35 comeback victory. It haunts the highlight reels and probably Hurts’ dreams.
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Coming close just won’t do in Philadelphia. This city’s heartbeat pumps championship parades, not participation ribbons. Philly fans are the Michelin-star critics of sports celebration, and God help you if you disappoint.
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Here’s a little peek behind the curtains: Hurts’ phone background? Yup. A haunting snapshot of him walking off the field in Arizona, drenched in red and yellow confetti. It’s a constant reminder of “almost there” — a digital scar and motivator all in one.
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Hurts himself isn’t without perspective. “The mission is to go take advantage of the opportunities we present ourselves with,” he says, like a zen football guru trying not to explode from a decade of scrutiny. He talks about his history — the wins, the losses, the benchings, the painful moments — all tools in his toolbox to lift himself and his team up.
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For the uninitiated in Jalen’s rollercoaster backstory, let me break it down: He waltzed into Alabama as a freshman and took the team all the way to the national championship, only to lose to Clemson. Sophomore year? Benched at halftime during another title game meltdown and watching Tua Tagovailoa swoop in like a stage magician to snatch victory. Junior year, he’s backup again. Senior year, he bolts to Oklahoma, goes 12-2, and finishes second in the Heisman voting behind Joe Burrow—the golden boy everyone chose first in the draft.
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Speaking of the draft, Hurts slid to No. 53. Meanwhile, Burrow, Tagovailoa, Herbert, and Love all went first round. Not exactly a glowing endorsement. Yet, irony’s icing on this cake: Out of those guys, only Burrow even sniffed a Super Bowl, and he lost. Hurts? He’s about to become the first QB since Jim Kelly (four Super Bowl losses in a row, no less) to make a second Super Bowl after losing the first. So, apparently, failing once isn’t a death sentence for glory—it’s just the Cliff Notes.
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Yet, despite all this, Jalen Hurts remains the underdog tale that no one’s quite ready to celebrate loudly enough. Philly started him as a backup and utility player—yeah, he even saw time as a wide receiver, because, why not? Then 2020 rolls in, he’s quarterback, and he’s led the Eagles to four straight playoff appearances. That’s a steady march toward relevance and dominance wrapped in a slick green jersey.
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But oh, how the media loves to juggle knives with his narrative. Post-2021 playoff loss to Tampa Bay? Eagles wavered. Move on from Hurts? Tempting! But the team stuck with him. And what happened? Jalen nearly snatched NFL MVP from Mahomes’ manic grip in 2022. They almost beat Mahomes at the Super Bowl! Same story, different day.
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Then 2024 came in with all the drama of a soap opera crossed with reality TV: A 10-1 glorious start that nosedived into a collapse so bad it fueled offseason critiques like a bonfire of doubts. Leadership questioned. His chemistry with coach Sirianni debated like it’s an NFL reality show plot twist. Even his bond with teammate A.J. Brown got its own tabloid.
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And yet, through every chuckle, snide remark, and “he-can’t-pass-if-it-rains” hot take, the Eagles kept winning. Why? Because they have the magic of Saquon Barkley—a bona fide freight train who’s rewriting records and owning the field like it’s his personal playground. Barkley carried the load so hard that Hurts’ passing stats took a backseat. The offense morphed into a run-first juggernaut.
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Still, every time the chips were down, Hurts answered the bell. Need a clutch pass against the Steelers? Done. Commanders getting too cocky late in the season? Hurts shut that party down with a 55-23 walloping. Critics? They bit their nails and blinked at the scoreboard.
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Coach Sirianni doesn’t mince words about the doubters: “It’s amazing how much doubt there is sometimes. I can’t quite comprehend it. The guy has been clutch. He’s won a ton of football games. We don’t care if he runs for 300 yards and throws for one or passes for 300 and rushes for one. We just win. There’s no debate.”
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And let me hit you with a nugget of pure chaos—since 2016, Hurts has had nine different offensive play-callers. Nine. That’s nearly a new voice whispering in his ear every single season. Next year might be number ten if Kellen Moore peaces out for a Saints head coach gig. So yeah, stability’s not exactly Hurts’ middle name.
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But regardless of coaching carousel noise, the standard remains unshakable for Hurts: win. Always win.
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So here we stand in 2025, watching this relentless, battle-scarred winner inch closer to the ultimate prize. Jalen Hurts is no longer just the Philly QB people argue about on bar stools and Twitter threads. He’s the face of a team hungry for a second Super Bowl ring. The stakes are sky-high, the drama is real, and Philly’s patience? Running out like the final seconds on a two-point conversion.
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In a world where stats get cherry-picked and narratives twist faster than a pretzel factory, Hurts remains a beacon of one simple, indelible truth: he wins, damn it. And soon, hopefully, he brings home the ring to prove it.
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— Drew Magary, ranting from the soul of a delirious Eagles fan.