Jalen Hurts is the key to Super Bowl LIX outcome

New Orleans, LA (News4usOnline) – Let’s cut to the chase. There’s a lot of pressure riding on the shoulders of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. You know Hurts. He’s that guy who often hands the ball off to Saquon Barkley, who ran the football for 2,005 yards during the 2024 NFL regular season.  

Hurts is also that guy who only passed for 300 yards or more just one time in 15 games during the regular season. So, the takedown of the Kansas City Chiefs from the perch of being NFL champions hinge on the legs and the right passing arm of Hurts. Period. 

Because of the explosive running prowess of Barkley, the Chiefs are going to be dialed in at all cost to limit the NFL Offensive Player of the Year to yardage on he ground. Kansas City is not going to let Barkley beat them with his legs. 

That puts the onus on Hurts to beat the Chiefs with his mind, legs and right passing arm. When these two teams squared off in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts almost led the Eagles to an upset victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. 

Hurts went off, completing 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the football for 70 yards and three more scores, giving him a total of four touchdowns. On this day, Hurts was clearly more superior than Mahomes. 

However, at the end of the day, Mahomes and the Chiefs got the last laugh with Kansas City prevailing with a 38-35 win. Adding insult to this win by the Chiefs, the victory started Kansas City on a possible march to win three championships in a row. The Chiefs started their run with their win against the Eagles. 

They then beat the San Francisco 49ers in 2024. And now once again, Mahomes and the Chiefs are staring down the barrel of a possible three-peat. The only thing standing in their way are the Eagles. The Eagles are playing in their second Super Bowl in the last three years with Hurts as the starting quarterback. 

But Hurts and the Eagles are dealing with a reality check that they very well can lose to the same team twice in the last three years, which would not be a good look. So how do the Eagles avoid being knocked off twice by the Chiefs? That’s simple. Turn Hurts loose. 

Hurts completed 68 percent of his passes and accounted for a total of 32 (18 passing TDs) touchdowns during the regular season. He also rushed for 630 yards and threw for an additional 2,903 yards. 

Those may not be earth-shattering numbers, but if you’re playing defense for Kansas City, you’d better figure out a way to make Hurts a one-trick pony or you’re going to get burned. Yes, there has been some naysayers who have pointed out Hurts’ less than impressive passing numbers at times. There are a couple of traits that make Hurts a threat against Kansas City’s dominant run. 

He’s hungry. Having already absorbed a loss to Mahomes and the Chiefs in a previous Super Bowl, Hurts and the Eagles don’t want to go down in history as the first team in NFL history to surrender a three-peat. 

Another tool at his disposal is the fact that Hurts is a dual-threat every time he touches the football. So some of those giveaways to Barkley, Hurts might and should just tuck and run himself. With many of Kansas City’s defenders crashing down trying to make a play of Barkley, this gives the Eagles quarterback the opportunity to make some big plays. 

And if he decides to go to another option, the passing game figure to be open considering the Chiefs will be all in on the stop Saquon Barkley bandwagon. Look for Hurts to go again in the passing game, especially if wide receivers A.J. Brown, DeVonta and tight end Dallas Goedert are matching up in man or one-on-one coverage.