The anti-Jalen Hurts agendas continue at a dizzying pace despite the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles QB will now be playing in his second Super Bowl in three years. Hurts is suffering from the classic fallacy of “this player’s team is so good that he’s probably not actually that good”. Could it not be that Hurts is actually a reason for his team’s success, rather than a product of it? Dan Orlovsky says no chance.
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Reaching two Super Bowls is no small feat, no matter how good your team is. And if you look at the QBs who have done so in recent years (Brady, Mahomes, Russ, Big Ben, Peyton, Warner), it’s a who’s who of gold jacket-wearing legends and future Hall of Famers. That’s good company for Jalen Hurts.
Even so, according to Orlovsky, Hurts can’t even sniff the talent of a few of his peers (Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow), who aren’t even on that list.
“I don’t think there’s anything Jalen can do to be in the conversation with those guys as players. The Super Bowl elevates the perception of him, but talent-wise, I don’t think Jalen’s ever gonna be into that group. But if he wins a Super Bowl, we’re gonna have those conversations of if they will ever jump in there,” Orlovsky said on First Take.
"I don't think there's anything Jalen [Hurts] can do to be in the conversation with [Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen] as players." —@danorlovsky7 😯 pic.twitter.com/fP12UcNglV
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 4, 2025
Orlovsky went on to ask Stephen A. Smith, the host of the show, whether he would take Hurts ahead of Jackson, Allen, or Burrow if they had a draft right now. Obviously, Stephen A. said no, because talent-wise, it does seem as though Jalen is slightly behind those guys.
“I understand, if you’re analyzing and dissecting their games the way Dan Orlovsky does, certainly he’s a distant 4th compared to the other three.”
Most people would probably agree with this assessment—right now. However, Orlovsky’s point was that Hurts wouldn’t be able to touch that “Holy QB Trinity” even if he does win this Super Bowl and slay the Kansas City dragon. That’s where we have to leave Dan behind.
In Super Bowl 57, Hurts arguably outplayed Mahomes in the loss. He completed over 70 percent of his passes for 300+ yards and a TD for a 103.4 passer rating. He also chipped in 70 rushing yards and three ground scores. Are we really saying those numbers don’t compare to the likes of Jackson, Allen, or Burrow? And if he outduels Mahomes again and actually wins the Super Bowl and the MVP, are we still taking a guy who’s 3-5 in the playoffs over Hurts? Doubtful.
Hurts delivered on the biggest stage, under the brightest lights — an experience that Jackson and Allen have yet to enjoy, which is a fact that also makes Orlovsky’s take a bit of a head-scratcher. When Burrow made the Super Bowl, he couldn’t even topple a non-Mahomian team. He managed a 67 completion percentage for 264 yards and a TD with no rushing stats.
Hurts is obviously not asked to carry this Eagles team, because he doesn’t have to. He does what he’s asked, and when they “take the straitjacket off” him, like they did in the NFC Championship this year and the Super Bowl two years ago, he has delivered. While Allen has certainly performed well in the playoffs, Jackson has not proven he can get the results in those big moments, even with all of those MVP trophies to his name.
Jalen Hurts is 42-12 as a starter in the regular season and playoffs since 2022. He’s 5-2 in the playoffs, and he’s been a key cog in tush-pushing this team to their second Super Bowl in three years.
He may not have the same level of talent as that trio, but he plays his part perfectly for Philly, and if that results in a Super Bowl ring this season, we expect that Hurts and the Eagles won’t much care where he ranks in that pointless hypothetical “top four”.
