Eagles HC likens Jalen Hurts to Michael Jordan after Giants thrashingÂ
Jalen Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to a dominant 38-7 victory over the rival New York Giants in the NFC divisional round. Any doubts about the NFC's top seed were effectively erased by halftime, when the Eagles had a 28-point lead.
Hurts was impressive and drew high praise from his head coach, Nick Sirianni. Sirianni, in his second year (the same as Hurts), compared Hurts to an NBA legend.
According to ESPN's Tim McManus, Sirianni said:
"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. He's your leader. He's your guy."
Hurts' head coach continued:
"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."
The missed games and sheer brilliance of the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes likely rules Hurts out of winning MVP, but Sirianni knows who he'd pick.
Hurts missed a couple of games late in the season, but the Eagles, and especially Sirianni, are happy to have him back for the postseason run.
Who will Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles play next?
Following their dismantling of the New York Giants, Jalen Hurts and his Philadelphia Eagles teammates will face the winner of the Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers matchup later today.
That gives them the option of playing a bitter rival with Super Bowl aspirations in the Cowboys, who narrowly defeated the Eagles last time out. In each of their two matchups, one team has been without their starting quarterback this season.
They could also play the 49ers, the NFL's hottest and most dangerous team. They're rolling over opponents even with Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy starting. The trade for Christian McCaffrey catalyzed this run.
Whoever wins, they will have to travel to Philadelphia as the NFC runs through them.