Jalen Hurts walked into his postgame press conference with the kind of calm intensity that doesn’t need to raise its voice to be heard. No theatrics, no big proclamations-just the same steely-eyed focus that’s come to define him. And after what the Eagles just did to the Raiders, that demeanor spoke volumes.
Philadelphia didn’t just win on Sunday-they made a statement. A 31-0 shutout over Las Vegas snapped a three-game skid that had some folks wondering if the Eagles were slipping into another late-season spiral.
But in the freezing wind at Lincoln Financial Field, the Birds found their footing again. And Hurts?
He led the way with the kind of efficiency that doesn’t always show up in the yardage column but tells its own story on the scoreboard.
Hurts went 12-for-15 through the air for 175 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a 154.9 passer rating-just shy of perfect-and he added 39 yards on the ground, never turned the ball over, and was only sacked once. It was the kind of bounce-back performance that elite quarterbacks deliver when the lights are brightest and the pressure is heaviest.
And make no mistake: the pressure has been mounting. Just a week ago, in a nationally televised loss to the Chargers, Hurts turned the ball over five times-including twice on the same play.
That kind of night invites questions, and in Philly, those questions get loud. Some outside voices were even calling for backup Tanner McKee to get a look.
But inside the locker room, the belief never wavered.
“Everybody’s watching,” Hurts said after the win, his words measured, his voice steady. “It just comes with it, and it hasn’t changed.
I think everybody needs to remember where I come from and how I’m built. I just want to lead in the right way, set the right example.”
That’s been Hurts’ message from the beginning-lead by example, stay consistent, and let the work speak. And when the Eagles needed a response, he gave them one.
By the fourth quarter, after threading a dart to A.J. Brown for the final touchdown of the day, Hurts had done enough.
The Eagles were up 31-0, and head coach Nick Sirianni pulled the starters. Mission accomplished.
“Heavy is the crown,” said veteran defensive end Brandon Graham, echoing a sentiment that’s been circling this team all year. “He’s been handling it the right way.
It ain’t always easy, because you’re the guy that’s gotta get all the blame for every little thing-just like Nick Sirianni. I feel like he does a great job, too.”
Graham’s seen it all in Philly. He knows what it means to be the face of a franchise in this city, where praise is loud but criticism is louder. And Hurts has worn that weight with a quiet kind of grace, even when the noise outside gets deafening.
Since taking over as the full-time starter in 2021-the same year Sirianni took the reins-Hurts has led the Eagles to the playoffs every year. He’s taken them to two Super Bowls in three seasons and walked away from the most recent one not just with a ring, but with MVP honors. And yet, the debates rage on.
Some say it’s the offensive line. Some point to Saquon Barkley’s monster season, or the dynamic duo of DeVonta Smith and A.J.
Brown. Others credit the defense.
But whatever the narrative, the results are hard to ignore. Hurts has done more in the postseason than most of the league’s young stars-names like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert included.
And yes, he outdueled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in that Super Bowl win. But still, the spotlight stays hot, and the expectations stay sky-high.
That’s the burden of being the guy. And Hurts knows it.
“Responded with a win,” he said, emotion kept in check, eyes fixed forward. “So gotta continue to stack those one week at a time, one day at a time.”
It’s not flashy. It’s not loud. But it’s exactly what the Eagles needed.