It's Good To Be King: Eagles QB Not Concerned About Rankings

PHILADELPHIA – Jalen Hurts got his Super Bowl ring on Friday but never opened the box. Never tried it on.

“It was honestly surreal to see it in person,” said the Eagles quarterback. “Almost, not nostalgic, but to see something that you’ve earned and have a moment to appreciate it one last time, kind of overdue in terms of when it was supposed to be initially. But it was a moment, and now that moment is behind us.”

It may have been one of the more relaxed press conferences Hurts had in recent memory. He seemed less stressed, less combative, more open, and not once did he say, “It’s about keeping the main thing the main thing.”

Ah, yes, it’s good to be king. And, quarterback rankings aside from the national know-it-alls, that’s what the Eagles quarterback is. King. He sits at the top of the mountain. A Super Bowl champion. A Super Bowl MVP. All self-doubts have been exorcised. He knows that the Super Bowl runs through him. Through Philadelphia.

There’s not a quarterback in the NFC that has a better postseason record than Hurts’ 6-3, not Matthew Stafford (5-5) or Jared Goff (4-5) and certainly not Dak Prescott (2-5). Brock Purdy is close at 4-2.

And there’s this morsel: Hurts is 10-0 combined against Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, and Stafford.

So, why should he be bothered in the slightest about what those so-called “experts” around the league think about him when they put out their QB rankings and have him closer to No. 10 than No. 5 or higher.

“Purely focused on being the best that I can be,” he said smiling, something he did more in a press conference than in recent memory, when asked about the rankings.

If a Hurts pass hit the ground in Wednesday’s practice, it wasn’t more than one. He was on target and knew where he was going with the ball. Remember, last year, he didn’t throw his first camp interception until the final day of training camp, and then he threw only five in the regular season.

His signature moment from the Eagles march to the Super Bowl may have been this one in the NFC Championship Game. Before the game became a rout, it was 14-12 with the clock ticking toward the two-minute warning and the Eagles facing a fourth-and-five from just inside the 50, at the Washington 45.

It was then, in that moment, when Hurts unleashed a pass deep down the left sideline, where A.J. Brown was being closely guarded by Marshon Lattimore. The throw was perfect. Brown caught it for a 31-yard gain, setting up a touchdown to open up a 20-12 lead. An incompletion then may have turned the tide of the game. Hurts didn’t let it happen.

Hurts, though, is forever looking forward, and that’s why his championship ring will stay in the box. For now.

“Every time we come in here, we gotta be able to turn the page,” he said. “So we look back, and it was a very, very good spring. That’s past us. So now, we’re here to focus on having a really good training camp, building a great foundation, and continue to build on chemistry with my teammates, with our team, and our coaches.”