After the Philadelphia Eagles battered the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 at Super Bowl LIX, many of Jalen Hurts’ naysayers have been forced to eat their share of the humble pie. That includes Cam Newton, who had infamously claimed last month that Hurts would not have enjoyed the same amount of success had he played in the AFC.
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“If you put the Philadelphia Eagles or Jalen Hurts in the AFC, would he have been able to have gotten to the Super Bowl as many times?” the former NFL MVP had said. Well, Newton has now gone back on his prior comment about the Alabama product.
The Eagles QB averaged 225 passing yards and a 70% completion percentage in his past three contests against the Chiefs. That should make any skeptic melt and critics stand up and admit getting it wrong about Hurts.
“I’m not too good to say that I ****’ed up and made a mistake,” Newton admitted on the latest episode of his 4th & 1 podcast.
“Boy oh boy, was I wrong, because every time he (Jalen Hurts) plays an AFC opponent, I think their record is like 15-1. They are strong!” Cam added.
Yes, Newton is right: “The times that Hurts has played Patrick Mahomes, he’s outplayed him every single time.”
With wins over the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Kansas City Chiefs throughout the past two seasons, Hurts is undeniably brilliant when competing in interconference games. Shockingly enough, the only AFC team that has managed to defeat the Eagles since 2023 was the Zach Wilson-led New York Jets.
Newton comments on Hurts’ non-controversial nature
Citing the adage of the squeaky wheel being the one to get the grease, Newton believes Hurts isn’t a “showman” like some other quarterbacks can be at times.
“They listen more to the squeaky wheel rather than the smooth wheel… Jalen is a smooth person; he’s not going to create controversy… Just because he has not shown, that does not mean that he cannot show,” said Newton.
Noting that Hurts may never post the same numbers as Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, or Josh Allen, Newton explained that the Eagles system is “not set up to have Jalen Hurts have those types of dynamic numbers.” Despite this, Hurts is still able to perform at a high level.
Ultimately, Newton admitted to making a complete turnaround on his stance toward Hurts being an elite-level quarterback.
“Does this put him in elite status? I think so… I don’t think anybody wants to see a Jalen Hurts or play against him,” said Newton.
After years of being labeled by fans and analysts as a running back who can sometimes throw the ball, Hurts has left his doubters with little to no ammunition following his most recent string of performances. Perhaps the change in tune from Newton is emblematic of an overarching shift in sentiment towards the 26-year-old signal caller.
Hurts will now be forever known as the man who stopped Kansas City from nailing a historic three-peat.
Now, eyeing a potential back-to-back championship run himself, the Super Bowl LIX MVP will turn his attention toward the 2025 regular season, where he will hope to continue turning haters into fans.
