Jalen Hurts’ brilliant Super Bowl effort falls short
By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Whether it was through the air or on the ground, Jalen Hurts dominated the Super Bowl offensively for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) tosses the ball after his touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
It just wasn’t enough to outduel Patrick Mahomes.
Hurts delivered a record performance on football’s biggest stage, throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown, running for 70 yards and three scores and adding a game-tying 2-point conversion.
But Hurts could only watch from the sideline as Mahomes drove the Chiefs to the go-ahead field goal with 8 seconds remaining for a 38-35 victory on Sunday.
Despite ending up with the loss, Hurts put together one of the most prolific games ever in the Super Bowl, but became the first QB ever to lose the big game while leading his team to at least 35 points.
He set the record for most yards rushing ever by a quarterback in a Super Bowl, he tied Terrell Davis’ record for most TD runs by any player, tied James White’s mark with 20 points scored and joined Hall of Famers Steve Young and Joe Montana as the only players ever to account for at least 370 yards and four TDs (rushing and passing) in a Super Bowl.
But the breakthrough season that ended with Hurts as the runner-up to Mahomes in the MVP voting also led him to be runner-up in the Super Bowl as Hurts became the first player to lose a Super Bowl despite accounting for four touchdowns.
Hurts started the game fast and never slowed down — but couldn’t get a chance to win it at the end thanks to a defensive holding call against James Bradberry that gave the Chiefs a first down in field-goal range and helped them run out almost the entire clock.
Hurts had one last chance and his desperation pass fell way short and he waked off the field in dejection.
It was a crushing way to end a brilliant performance.
Hurts scored on one of his patented sneaks on the opening drive, delivered a 45-yard scoring strike to A.J. Brown on the first play of the second quarter, added a 4-yard run late in the second quarter and then engineered a signature drive in the fourth quarter.
He connected on a 45-yard pass to DeVonta Smith and then capped off the drive with a 2-yard run. He then ran it in himself for the game-tying 2-point conversion but was mostly a spectator after that.
About the only thing Hurts didn’t do right came when he fumbled while switching hands holding the ball, leading to a 36-yard fumble return TD for Nick Bolton in the first half.
But that one mistake did little to slow down Hurts, who converted a 28-yard run on a fourth-down keeper on the next drive to set up his second TD run of the game from 4 yards.
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