The Philadelphia Eagles won against the Rams and advanced to the next round of the playoffs. Before the squad faces the Washington Commanders, Jalen Hurts spoke with reporters about his knee injury and how the snow affected the game.
He wasn’t shy about how much it meant to be able to play in the NFC Championship Game and advance to the Super Bowl.
“It is everything. This is what you work for. This is what all of our energy and all of my energy has been geared towards.”
Hurts had no specific reaction to meeting the Washington Commanders for the third time this season, stating that it didn’t matter who the opponent was.
Here’s what else the QB had to say:
“Tough game. A challenging game. I was able to finish the game, and we will see how the week goes.”
The quarterback explained that he didn’t sustain two separate injuries throughout the game. Hurts stated that this will not effect his status throughout the week, and when asked whether he is confident he will play next week, he simply replied, “Yeah.”
On playing in the snow
“It was a new experience. Definitely, next time that happens, I’ll be able to look back and pull from this game and be better from it.”
Hurts went on to remark that in a game like that, communication and fundamentals are key, as is being in attack mode. He admitted that they are topics they should be focusing on regardless, but especially in certain circumstances.
“I want to give a ton of credit to the team we just played. They’ve evolved as the years have gone on, and offensively, defensively, they’ve been very, very efficient in what they do. We talked about their front seven all week and how they’re able to affect the pass, and they did that tonight. On the other side of the ball, they were able to move the ball at certain points, but our defense nutted up and played a hell of a game. They got some crucial turnovers in those moments. Just attest that to the work that everyone has put in and be able to come out here and play in a snow game.”
He was later questioned if the game was difficult in those conditions, but he responded it’s all the same if you have the appropriate mental attitude. He emphasized that it all comes down to their preparation; conditions fluctuate in each game, but it is their responsibility to prepare for what is expected.
“It was a different game, but we were able to weather the storm. That took complementary football, that took big-time plays on offense in the right moments, that took big-time plays on defense in the right moments, and special teams being able to play the way they did. I would’ve loved to capitalize on those turnovers when we had those opportunities, and we will the next time around. But just happy we were able to pull this one out and get a win as a team.”
On Saquon Barkley’s 78-yard TD
“I knew exactly what was about to happen. Just the run we had on, how they were playing the run, and then the man you’re handing the ball off to. You know that there’s an opportunity to take advantage of it, and [Saquon Barkley] took advantage of it. It was a big-time play we needed.”
- Hurts learned from his time under pressure against the Rams that rhythm is crucial. They must be able to establish their rhythm—and this does not always imply quick passes, long passes, or anything else; it just means finding their place.
- The quarterback praised Jalen Carter for his late-game sack, which nearly secured the win. He described it as a tremendous defensive play, and while he was on the sideline preparing for a two-minute offense, the defense won the game on their terms.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them for that.”
- Hurts declined to comment on the offense’s approach to play-calling when starting drives deep in their own territory, instead stating that he tries to execute what is called before deferring to Kellen Moore or Nick Sirianni for an answer.
- He didn’t seem concerned about the missed connections on deep passes, saying they simply didn’t connect—but he also said it’s been a minute since they’ve done those in general, so it’s all about learning and growing.
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