Jalen Hurts’ path to Super Bowl glory certainly was not a direct one.
In the eight years leading up to his Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX, Hurts endured more than his share of challenges.
As a freshman starting quarterback at Alabama, Hurts lost in the 2017 national championship game to Clemson.
The following year, Hurts was benched at halftime of the 2018 national championship game, only for his backup, Tua Tagovailoa, to lead Alabama back from a 13-0 deficit to defeat Georgia.
As a junior, Hurts remained at Alabama as Tagovailoa’s backup. Hurts then transferred to Oklahoma, where he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior in 2019.
The Eagles made Hurts a second-round draft pick in 2020, but even as the dual-threat quarterback found NFL success, he faced scrutiny over his limitations as a passer and questions about his ceiling as a franchise quarterback.
Two years ago, Hurts totaled four touchdowns in Super Bowl LVII, but the Eagles lost to the Chiefs, 38-35.
It’s a journey Hurts describes as “unprecedented” — and it’s why the normally stoic quarterback flashed a smile as he reflected on finally reaching the pinnacle.
“I’m that same kid that went to the national championship and lost, and went back and got benched, and had to transfer, and had to go through this unprecedented journey,” Hurts, 26, said after Sunday’s victory. “That kid always kept the main thing the main thing, and always was true to his vision.”
Hurts was named the MVP of Sunday’s Super Bowl after completing 17-of-22 pass attempts for 221 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while adding 72 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
His tush-push touchdown run on the Eagles’ second possession opened the game’s scoring, while his 46-yard touchdown bomb to DeVonta Smith put Philadelphia up, 34-0, late in the third quarter, serving as the dagger.
Hurts did it on a day Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year and the focal point of the Philly offense, managed only 57 rushing yards on 25 carries.
“I find it funny when it’s like, ‘Jalen is good but he’s got a good team around him.’ That’s football,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said after Sunday’s win.
“You cannot be great without the greatness of others. Jalen can’t do it by himself. He needs A.J. [Brown]. He needs that offensive line. He needs Saquon and vice versa. The reason Saquon has a special year [is not] only the offensive line, but the attention that Jalen commands for the run game. Jalen’s special.”
Hurts finished second in NFL MVP voting for the 2022 season, after which he signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension.
But outside criticism had crept back in during the two years since.
After starting the 2023 season with a 10-1 record, the Eagles lost six of their final seven games, including a 32-9 blowout by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Reports emerged of a strained relationship between Hurts and Sirianni.
This regular season, Hurts threw for a pedestrian 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 games. The Eagles’ lack of passing-game firepower became a national talking point, even as Hurts scored 14 rushing touchdowns and Barkley flirted with single-season history by running for 2,005 yards.
But Hurts returned to form during the Eagles’ playoff run. He totaled 10 touchdowns — five passing and five rushing — in Philadelphia’s four games and completed 71.4% of his passes.
Three of his rushing touchdowns came in a 55-23 drubbing of the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game.
On Sunday, Hurts carved up a Chiefs defense that was among the NFL’s best all season and that made life difficult for Houston’s C.J. Stroud and Buffalo’s Josh Allen in Kansas City’s other two playoff games.
Hurts bested Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champion who threw two interceptions Sunday. His Chiefs were shut out until there was less than a minute remaining in the third quarter.
By finally winning on the biggest stage, Hurts authored another chapter in his up-and-down story — one that immortalizes him as a Super Bowl champion.
“It’s been a fun ride, and I’ve embraced every step,” Hurt said. “I took great pride in never backing down from a challenge, always turning my negatives into positives, turning my weaknesses and making them my strengths. It’s taken great effort and determination to evolve my game over time and just continue to grow and improve.”