The Cold Wire
The Philadelphia Eagles climbed the NFL mountain on Sunday by slaying the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to win this season’s Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Their defense played a big role by harassing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes into a number of miscues, but Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts had an impressive performance while leading an explosive offensive attack that put up 40 points.
He completed 17 of 22 pass attempts and had two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, and per Dov Kleiman, he set a record for the highest expected points added (EPA) per dropback in Super Bowl history.
The highest EPA/dropback in a Super Bowl game:
1) Jalen Hurts 2024: (.51)
1) Tom Brady 2017: (.47)
3) Nick Foles 2017: (.41)
Hurts officially has the most efficient Super Bowl performance by a quarterback in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/1PoO9c3sSN
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 10, 2025
Until this season, Hurts hadn’t been particularly known for his passing accuracy or potency, but he completed 68.7 percent of his pass attempts during the regular season while leading the Eagles to a 14-3 record.
He had always been a workhorse on the ground, but on Sunday, he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could also win a big game with his arm.
With the Chiefs stacking the box to stop running back Saquon Barkley, who was held to 57 rushing yards, Hurts took advantage of the open spots downfield.
Late in the third quarter, with his team already ahead 27-0, Hurts threw a long-range dime to wide receiver Devonta Smith for a touchdown that effectively put a bow on the contest.
JALEN TO DEVONTA DEEP TOUCHDOWN!
: #SBLIX on FOX
: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/OTFwM3v8Fb— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
Unlike Mahomes, Hurts has been an underdog story — he was infamously benched in college during the 2017 national championship game, and when the Eagles drafted him in 2020, he started the season third on their depth chart.
He can now call himself a world champion forever no matter what happens to him the rest of his life.
The post Jalen Hurts Made History With 1 Super Bowl Stat appeared first on The Cold Wire.
