Jalen Hurts shares advice ahead of playoffs after Eagles clinch NFC East by beating Commanders
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts stresses perspective before Philadelphia begins its hunt for a Super Bowl
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Consecutive wins for Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched an NFC East title with Saturday's 29-18 victory over the Washington Commanders. The Eagles are back-to-back division champions for the first time since 2001 thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Hurts and a dominant second-half effort against the Commanders.
Hurts has led the Eagles (10-5) to the postseason every year since taking over as the starter in 2021.
"It's a great accomplishment," Hurts said. "I mean, kind of reminds me of when I was in high school. We hadn't been in the playoffs in 20 years, and I was able to do that with my teammates in high school for my pops, and it's a big feat. So I think right now, given all the success and all the competitive football that is going on in this division over the last 20-plus years, to be able to win it back-to-back is a huge accomplishment.
"However, as I said, it's a first time for everything, and it's something that we can just check off the box as we achieve for more."
As it stands, the Eagles are the No. 3 seed in the NFC in their quest to defend their Super Bowl crown. Hurts bounced back from an ugly, four-interception outing against the Los Angeles Chargers with consecutive solid performances. He threw five touchdown passes over his last two starts with a completion rate at 75.5%.
"I've said it multiple times: These times, they're rare times," Hurts said. "So something that we all need to soak in and relish in this moment right now and take it a day at a time as we always have. But keep the main thing the main thing. Keep the main thing the main thing. That's what we've done for five years since everybody's collectively been here. That's been my approach since I've been in Eagle."
Another positive development has been Saquon Barkley's re-emergence. He finished with 132 yards and a score against the Commanders, only his third 100-yard effort of the season with two of those coming over his last three games. Barkley rushed for a NFL-leading 2,005 yards last year, but hasn't found that level of success in his second year with Philadelphia.
