Jalen Hurts’ defining Super Bowl LIX moments

New Orleans, LA (News4usOnline) – On his first deep throw of Super Bowl LIX, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sent a resounding message to the Kansas City Chiefs defense. 

And while the on-field completed pass to wide receiver A.J. Brown was negated due to an offensive pass interference call against Brown, Hurts had already put his stamp on the game.

He was going to be the difference in the game. Just two years earlier in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts outplayed Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Hurts burned the Chiefs then for 304 passing yards and a touchdown. He also picked up another 70 yards and three more scores on the ground. 

It was more than a gallant effort by Hurts. Some would argue it was an MVP-like effort except Hurts and the Eagles came up short in a 38-35 loss to Mahomes and the Chiefs. Two years later, Hurts would avenge that defeat by outperforming Mahomes again. 

The Difference Maker

This time around, Hurts and the Eagles made sure there would be no doubt in the victory circle. Hurts and the Eagles jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 40-22 win in demolishing the ill-perceived thoughts that the Chiefs would three-peat. Hurts and the Eagles said not on their watch. 

“It definitely took a team effort to get us to the point of winning the Super Bowl,” Hurts said after the game. “The only thing I can think about is the amount of effort and work that has been put in over time. We had a focused group of players out there. Offense was able to score points and take advantage of opportunities, just enough to put points on the board. The defensive players played their ass’ off like they have been all year. I think this game is a great testament to our defense.”

Once again, Hurts had another sensational performance against the Chiefs. In winning the game’s most valuable player award, Hurts threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for an additional 72 yards and another score to lift Philadelphia to the NFL championship title. 

“He played incredible,” Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown said. “He did amazing. I know I’m throwing adjectives at you, but he played really well. He was poised the whole game, he was in control, he made checks and he threw dimes. He just gave us opportunities, and when we were covered a little bit, he took off running – he used his legs.”

The numbers, however, don’t tell the whole story of how Hurts took over the game and dominated the Chiefs. In a broader perspective, Hurts has accounted for seven touchdowns in two Super Bowl games against Kansas City.

The Chiefs didn’t have a defensive answer for Hurts in Super Bowl LVII and they didn’t have an answer for him in Super Bowl LIX. 

And when you think about Hurts’ dominance against Kansas City’s defense, it’s pretty amazing considering the Chiefs have rebuffed two of the best mobile quarterbacks in the NFL in Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Buffalo Bills signal-caller Josh Allen in back-to-back AFC title games. 

That’s not to mention that Jackson and Allen are the league’s last two regular season MVPs. So what does that say about Hurts? All he does is win. Huirts has guided the Eagles to two Super Bowl appearances in the last three years. 

Time To Take Over

And he has outplayed Mahomes both times in their head-to-head battles. Not only has Hurts outshined Mahomes, he has also gotten the best of Kansas City’s defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in both games. Let’s use Philadelphia’s first touchdown as an example. 

So after Philadelphia’s offense sputtered on that first series in  which Brown was hit with that offensive pass interference call, Hurts and the Eagles went right back and dialed up nearly the same exact play on their next possession. 

This time, Hurts connected with Jahan Dotson for what originally appeared to be a long touchdown pass. As it was, the play was called down at the 1-yard line and from there Hurts pushed his way into the endzone for Philadelphia’s first score of the game.  

With Philadelphia’s defense helping out with the scoring parade, Hurts put some more of his magic on the game when he hit Brown for a 12-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to boost the Eagles’ lead to 24-0 going into halftime. Of course, he wasn’t quite finished. 

With Kansas City’s defense selling completely out to try to stop Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley (57 yards on 25 carries), Hurts found cracks in the Chiefs’ defense to exploit. Perhaps none was bigger than that 46-yard touchdown he threw to DeVonta Smith to blow open the game in the third quarter. 

The one-play drive was the perfect call that embodied the game Hurts had against the Chiefs. With Barkley, the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year bottled up all night by Kansas City’s defense, the onus of Philadelphia’s success on offense lay at the feet and arm of Hurts. 

Coming Up Big

And he delivered. In a big way, though Hurts would defer to the win as a collective effort by the Eagles. 

“It was just something that kind of came together,” Hurts stated. “I think we were able to execute and find multiple ways to win together and dominate in the pass game. We did what we needed to do and did what needed to be done. When you have a goal like this, there’s always the question of the mission and why you’re doing this, but ours was always aligned.”

Even with the game out of reach by this point, Hurts kept going on the offensive and put pressure on Kansas City’s defense by using his legs. There were several times when Hurts dropped back to pass only to find himself blanketed by a sea of red and white jerseys of the Chiefs. 

With a wiggle here and a juke there, Hurts not only evaded the fierce pass rush of the Chiefs but he made it look like he was toying with Kansas City’s defenders as they were left grasping air and the green tundra of the Superdome turf while chasing the Eagles quarterback.  

“He did what he supposed to, took care of the ball, ran when he felt like it was needed, he played a solid game, and they made the plays when they were supposed to,” Kansas City defensive end Charles Omenihu said. 

Lead Photo Caption: NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 09: QB Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs on the field prior to the start of Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on February 09, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire)