Rest easy, Philadelphia. All appears well in the City of Brotherly Love.
After a week in which rumors swirled about discontentment in the Eagles locker room due to the team’s sometimes-meager passing game, star quarterback Jalen Hurts delivered one of his best games of the season. He led Philly to a 27-13 win against the in-state rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who were previously 10-3.
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Hurts completed 25 of his 32 passing attempts for 290 yards and two touchdowns, and he added another 45 yards and a touchdown in 15 attempts on the ground. His 290 yards through the air were his second most of any game this season, behind only his 311 yards in a September win at New Orleans.
F is for friends who do stuff together.
U is for U and Me.
N is for anywhere and anytime at all.@jalenhurts | @1kalwaysopen_ | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/0eBWoVCrdH— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 15, 2024
Winning is Our Prerogative pic.twitter.com/6oUeVzopWO
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 16, 2024
Sunday’s victory against the Steelers was Philadelphia’s 12th on the season and a franchise-record 10th in a row, putting the team into a tie for first place in the NFC with the Detroit Lions (and possibly the Minnesota Vikings, who play Monday night).
“The approach was a little different this week. The grass will be green where you water it. We decided to water it and saw the fruits of our labor in that,” Hurts said in Sunday’s postgame press conference about the Eagles’ passing game. “Obviously, we’ve been watering the running game a good bit. It’s natural to put emphasis on one thing and take emphasis off of another and see what you guys have seen. We want to continue to be well rounded, push to be well rounded, and water all areas of our yard.”
Hurts’ extended metaphor was in reference to the wide disparity between Philadelphia’s offensive production in the running game and its offensive production in the passing game. Led by the addition of star running back Saquon Barkley in free agency this offseason, the Eagles rank No. 1 in the NFL with 186.2 yards per game on the ground. By comparison, they are No. 28 in passing yards per game with 187.0.
“The scrutiny is never ending,” Hurts said in his press conference. “It’s nothing new. That’s something that I find a thrill in and appreciate: being told I can’t. … I just want to show up and be the best teammate, quarterback. Be the best that I can be for the guys on the team.”
Hurts, who also revealed he has a broken ring finger on his left non-throwing hand, is focused ultimately not on what others expect him to be but on who God has made him to be.
“I really lean on [God] and I try to keep Him in the center of everything I do,” Hurts said in a press conference before the Super Bowl in 2023, “because I know without God, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without having that faith in Him, without integrity and leadership and diligence and all those things. I think the biggest thing is you get so influenced by so much around you, you just want to pray that you’re the person that God calls you to be. So that’s what I’m gonna do — be what God called me to be.”
Hurts, whose favorite Bible verse is John 13:7, has mentioned his faith in God throughout his five years in the NFL. He even spoke of how he saw God working in his life during a memorable college career that began at Alabama and ended at Oklahoma in 2019 as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
“I understand that God put those obstacles and challenges in my life for a reason,” Hurts wrote in January 2019 for The Players’ Tribune about his tough decision to transfer. “He wanted me to feel the pain I felt for a reason. He wanted me to understand the importance of never losing faith and of always staying true to myself. He had NOT brought me this far just to leave me there.”
Hurts continued later, “I know everything will unfold according to God’s timing. I am blessed to be where my feet are; my trust is in His hands.”
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Earlier this month, the Houston, Texas, native told GQ that a crucial aspect of his preparation is carving out daily time for praying to God, working through devotionals, watching sermons or listening to music, and he takes time on flights to read the Bible.
“I’ve found that the plane gives me a lot of time to take a deep dive in Scripture, and then go back on my week of notes and the game plan for the opponent,” Hurts said. “Those things are very important to me, and I feel like you have to intentionally pursue them to continue to build wisdom.”
Two years ago, Hurts did a video with GQ in which he talked about his daily devotional and his journal.
“I’m a man of God,” he said. “Waking up every morning and having a routine where I can gain some wisdom, learn His Word, and just walk by the Spirit, I strive to do that daily. And I challenge myself to spread that Word organically.”
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“I’ve just matured and realized that God is everything, and He’s worthy of praise,” Hurts told CBSSports.com in September 2022. “You have to put Him at the center of everything that you do. That’s what I believe. All my spiritual wisdom — all of my wisdom as a whole — comes from Him, in some way, shape or form. … I just think, in all the things that we experience in life — good, bad or indifferent — you have to keep Him at the center.”
With a revived passing attack and a steadfast faith, Hurts will next lead his Eagles against the division-rival Washington Commanders (9-5) on Sunday, as they seek to keep pace in the NFC. Kickoff from Washington D.C. is set for 1 p.m. ET.
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