It didn’t take long for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to set the tone for Saturday night’s game against the Giants.
Hurts his wide receiver DeVonta Smith for 40 yards on the second snap of the game and the Eagles were up 7-0 thanks to a touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Goedert a few plays later. They would build that lead to 28-0 with Hurts throwing and running for two more touchdowns and looking a lot more like the quarterback who lit up the league before injuring his right shoulder in Week 15 of the regular season.
After the 38-7 win was in the books, Hurts said he felt “good enough” physically but head coach Nick Sirianni was a bit more effusive when it came to discussing the kind of lift that Hurts provided to the team.
“To have him out there is like — I know this is high praise, but to have him out there is like having — I shouldn’t even go there — it’s like having Michael Jordan out there,” Sirianni said. “He’s your leader. He’s your guy. Hopefully that’s the biggest respect I can pay to him comparing his ability to being on the field to a Michael Jordan type. This guy leads. He brings this calmness to the entire team. He plays great football. He’s as tough as they come. Yeah, I mean, to me, nobody has played any better football than him this year.”
Goedert said Hurts “had it in him so we all follow suit” and that formula has proven to be a winning one for the Eagles this season. If they can follow it one more time, they’ll be going to the Super Bowl.