NEW ORLEANS — Jalen Hurts knows this opportunity doesn’t come around often. The 26-year-old Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is set to make his second Super Bowl appearance in just his fifth season in the league. Some players go their entire career without reaching the final game.
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Two years ago, he led the Eagles into Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs, and came up a field goal short. He was asked in a press conference Thursday what he hopes is different this time around as the Eagles face the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
“I’d like to win the game,” he said simply.
He has an impressive new weapon with him this time around in Saquon Barkley, the All-Pro running back in the mix for NFL MVP. Behind Barkley and the dual-threat Hurts, Philadelphia featured the NFL’s second-best rushing attack (179.3 yards per game), the eighth-best total offense (367.2 yards) and seventh-best scoring offense (27.2 points).
They’ll face a Chiefs defense ranked No. 4 in scoring, allowing only 19.2 points per game. That means knocking off the Chiefs and preventing them from an unprecedented three-peat won’t be an easy feat. Hurts is trying to keep his preparation simple.
“You want to treat them all the same,” he told the media Thursday. “Every game is a big game. We got another opportunity to do it and we’ve worked very hard for this moment, and to be the last man standing. So we just want to put our best foot forward. We’ve got another opportunity to get better at practice today and just take advantage of it. Just keep stacking.”
Part of Hurts’ personal preparation for each game is time with the Lord. He prefers to keep his exact routine private, but he’s long spoken about and professed his faith in God.
“My faith has always been a part of me,” Hurts told Sports Spectrum on Tuesday. “I’ve always wanted to root myself in that and keep Him in the center of my life and everything that I do. So through the highs and the lows, He’s greater than all of them, and that’s something that I can always acknowledge.”
"I've always wanted to root myself in that and keep Him in the center of my life in everything I do."
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts talked to our @MattForte22 about his relationship with Jesus at #SuperBowlLIX📷 pic.twitter.com/lksKHxTMya
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 5, 2025
Hurts says his favorite Bible verse is John 13:7, which reads, “Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.'” Hurts has certainly seen that play out in his football career, as he starred at Alabama, but was eventually benched, and later transferred to Oklahoma before finding early success in the NFL.
“God is greater than any high or low,” Hurts said Monday at Super Bowl LIX’s opening night. “And He’s there unconditionally. So [I’m] just leaning on Him, not just in this season but any season of life. Just taking a day at a time, knowing where my faith comes from.”
On the field, you could argue Hurts had a down year. He failed to throw for more than 3,000 yards for the first time since becoming Philadelphia’s regular starter, but his 2,903 passing yards, 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions account for the best passer rating of his career (103.7). He also contributed 630 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, the second-most of his career.
At times this season, critics pointed to the Eagles’ passing game as a weakness. But with a weapon like Barkley, who joined the team as a free agent prior to this season, Hurts was never concerned. He likes being able to win in multiple ways.
The Eagles will need all their weapons to defeat the Chiefs on Sunday if they want to collect their franchise’s second Super Bowl title. Kickoff from New Orleans is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
— Jalen Hurts (@JalenHurts) December 2, 2024
Win or lose, Hurts will remain grounded by his faith in God.
“It’s where I center everything,” he said Monday night. “That’s where it all comes from, you know? God is greater than any high or low. He’s greater than the highs and the lows. You have to maintain a strong faith in the midst of everything. You’re going to have your joys, you’re going to have your pains, but they’re all the same in the end. It’s about what you learn from it. It’s about what you root yourself in.”
>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<
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