November 28, 2023
Jalen Hurts, drenched in the downpour, stood in the end zone with his arms out in victory.
The Eagles were behind, again, and his sloppy and stagnant first half was one of the main reasons why.
But they came all the way back, again, with his four touchdowns across the second half and overtime also being one of the main reasons why.
The Eagles beat the Bills and improved to an NFL-best 10-1, with many of those games requiring Hurts to find a new way to win every time.
He has to be the MVP at this rate, right?
"That dude should be [the MVP]," lineman Jordan Mailata said postgame on Sunday. "I don't know the requirements, but I know he's got the best record out of the f***ing MVP candidates. I love him, man. There's no words that can describe the love I have for this guy. He really embodies the perseverance and he leads by example."
But does that argument hold up with the rest of the football world?
Here's what they're saying...
Hurts is for real.
After the Eagles managed to beat Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs and Josh Allen's Bills in back-to-back weeks, with major help from Hurts' poise, his case to win MVP absolutely should be in consideration.
He needs to put in a bit more, like another win over Dallas for example, but he does have a path to winning the honor, and at this point, a known ability to do so.
Wrote Dan Graziano after the Eagles' overtime win:
Heading into Monday night's game in Week 11, I felt that the quarterback of the winning team would become the MVP favorite. And after Hurts' Eagles beat Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs, that's exactly what happened. Hurts obviously helped his own case with Sunday's masterpiece too. He's tough. He's clutch. He's flat-out fantastic at every aspect of his game, throwing 15 touchdown passes and rushing for nine scores this season. And his team has the best record in the league.
If the Eagles hold off the Cowboys to become the first repeat NFC East champions in 19 years – as it very much appears they might – and secure the NFC's No. 1 seed for the second season in a row, I'm not sure how this award is going to anyone else. [ESPN+, $]
Coupled with Hurts and the Eagles continuing to pile up wins is that the more they do it, the better company Hurts joins.
As the starting QB, the Eagles have now gone 10-1 in back-to-back seasons with Hurts, which is a first since Peyton Manning's Colts in 2005 and then 2006 – perhaps a good omen considering that latter year resulted in a Super Bowl.
But when it comes to late-game heroics, longtime Eagle and Michigan alum Brandon Graham sees a bit of the other GOAT too.
Hurts became just the second NFL quarterback since 1950 to start 10-1 or better through 11 games in consecutive seasons, per Elias Sports (Peyton Manning was the first in 2005-06). He’s the first quarterback since 1950 to win 14 straight games against opponents with winning records, per ESPN Stats and Info.
Hurts’ late-game magic has helped lift the Eagles from a good team to a great one. That prompted Eagles veteran defensive end Brandon Graham to compare Hurts to Tom Brady, who led 58 game-winning drives in his 23-year career.
“They always talk about Tom Brady with the drives at the end — I’m hoping Jalen starts getting that name,” Graham said. “I’m happy that he went out there and finished the deal [with] a game-winning drive. Keep them coming.
“We love putting it in his hands at the end to give us a chance.” [Yahoo! Sports]
Hurts hasn't been the statistical behemoth that's usually required of the typical MVP winner, but it's undeniable that the Eagles keep winning games that they absolutely wouldn't have without him.
He might be leading the MVP race right now because of it, argues Steven Ruiz, but maybe only as a placeholder until a true frontrunner breaks out.
But then again, maybe Hurts is that true frontrunner, getting the job done in an unconventional way that could stand to change the entire conversation around what the NFL MVP should be.
It almost feels as if Hurts is being used as a placeholder at the top, while the oddsmakers patiently wait for someone to seize control of the race.
Given the current state of things, that makes a lot of sense. The Eagles are the NFL’s best team, and even if Hurts has put up some uneven performances in Philly’s most high-profile wins, he’s made enough plays in crunch time to cover up the slow starts. His game-winning touchdown run against Buffalo on Sunday will be the only play from the contest we remember a month from now.
...
No matter how you view the MVP award—whether you value QB Winz, a convenient narrative, big numbers, impressive film, or a combination of those factors—there’s a candidate in this race for you. There’s really no wrong answer in a season like this. Instead, this year’s MVP debate is largely a philosophical one—and the winner could change the way we view the award going forward. With a dearth of standout options at quarterback, this could be the year a non-QB breaks the position’s decade-long dominance of the award. Or, if a quarterback does run away with it, we could be forced to have some conversations about what this award has become. Either way, there’s a lot more than a trophy riding on this year’s race. [The Ringer]
Taking a glance at the futures odds on FanDuel Monday afternoon, Hurts has the highest odds to win MVP at +150, followed by Mahomes at +350 and then Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson at +600.
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