During his press conference this week, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was asked to pick out his best play of the 2022 season.
“My best play of the season?” Hurts said. “The season’s not over.”
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For all but two NFL teams, it is over. But the Eagles have one more game – Super Bowl LVII. Philadelphia squares off against the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2022 NFL championship at 5:30 p.m. CST Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
“We have a heck of an opportunity in front of us, and we’ve worked really hard to be where we are now,” Hurts said. “To have the opportunity is something that you earn, so we want to work really hard to take advantage of it.”
Super Bowl LVII matches the two No. 1 seeds from the conference playoffs, the first time that has happened in the title game since the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018.
Both Philadelphia and Kansas City posted 14-3 records in the regular season and won two playoff games to reach the championship contest. But none of the preceding 19 games came with the spotlight and off-the-field obligations that will confront the teams during their week in Arizona before getting on the field.
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“I think you have to focus on everything that’s in front of you and keep the main thing the main thing,” Hurts said. “There’s a lot of distractions all the time, and I think this time of year, when you’re fortunate to make it this far, they’re amplified, so, hopefully, everybody can stay focused on the task at hand, enjoy the moment, embrace the moment, but also stay focused on what matters.”
And the Super Bowl definitely matters to Hurts.
“I always wanted to be the best,” Hurts said. “Super Bowl is on the list to be the best, so it kind of fell in line.”
Hurts participated in the College Football Playoff three times at Alabama and once at Oklahoma. He has three games of NFL postseason experience. Like most of the Eagles, Hurts will be playing in the Super Bowl for the first time, although Philadelphia does have seven players on its current active roster from the team that defeated New England for the 2017 NFL championship.
“I think they’re definitely guys we can lean on,” Hurts said. “I think their experience – I think experience is the biggest teacher, so you kind of have to go through it yourself to learn the most from it. But having those guys around is definitely beneficial, and there’s a lot of familiar faces around here that have been there, so I think as a team we’re leaning on one another.”
Philadelphia has lost once with Hurts in the lineup this season. The quarterback sustained a shoulder injury in a 25-20 victory over the Chicago Bears on Dec. 24. Hurts missed the next two games, and the Eagles lost both.
Super Bowl LVII will be Hurts’ fourth game since returning from the injury.
Before getting hurt, Hurts had a 104.6 passing-efficiency rating and averaged 53.4 rushing yards and 4.79 yards per carry in Philadelphia’s first 14 regular-season games. In his three games since the injury, Hurts has an 80.65 passing-efficiency rating and has averaged 28.7 rushing yards and 2.97 yards per carry.
“I’m getting there,” Hurts said about his recovery. “I’ve made it clear this whole time that it’s been something that I’ve been dealing with. I’m getting there.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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