Following the Eagles’ 38–7 rout of the Giants in Saturday night’s NFC divisional round playoff game, Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni made a lofty comparison between Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts and one of the NBA’s all-time greats: Michael Jordan.
“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, per ESPN’s Tim McManus. “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. To me, nobody has played any better football than him this year.”
Hurts, who was making just his second postseason start Saturday, completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He added 34 yards and a rushing score, all while playing with an injury in his throwing shoulder that kept him out for two games late in the regular season.
Though Hurts admitted before the game he wasn’t close to 100%, he picked up right where he left off in the regular season, in which he put together a compelling case for the league’s MVP award prior to his injury. The third-year quarterback threw for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns with just six interceptions, in addition to racking up 760 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in 15 games played.
Not only was his production much improved this season, but Hurts has clearly developed into a strong leader in Sirianni’s second year at the helm. He’ll look to keep the Eagles’ momentum rolling as the team advances to take on the winner of Sunday’s Cowboys-49ers game in the NFC championship game next weekend.
