Following the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 battering of the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX, many of Jalen Hurts’ naysayers have been forced to eat their fair share of humble pie. One of them who has done that is none other than former NFL MVP, Cam Newton.
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After infamously claiming that Hurts would not have enjoyed the same amount of success had he played in the AFC, Newton went back on his prior comments about the Alabama product. On the latest episode of his 4th & 1 podcast, Newton addressed his inaccuracies.
Claiming that “I’m not too good to say that I ****’ed up and made a mistake,” the former Carolina Panther admitted that,
“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!”
Averaging 225 passing yards and a 70% completion percentage throughout his past three contests against the Chiefs, Newton is certainly accurate in his claim that “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 play. 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 old adage of the squeaky wheel being the one to get the grease, the three-time pro bowler doesn’t believe Hurts to be a “showman” in the way that other signal-callers 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.”
In noting that Hurts may never post the same numbers as Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, or Josh Allen, Newton further explained that the Eagles system is “not set up to have Jalen Hurts have those types of dynamic numbers.” Despite this, Newton highlighted that Hurts is still able to perform at a high level.
Ultimately, Newton admitted that he has now performed a complete turnaround on his stance towards 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.”
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, as Hurts will now be forever known as the man who ruined Kansas City’s chances at a historic three-peat.
Now eyeing a potential back-to-back championship run himself, the Super Bowl LIX MVP will turn his attention towards the 2025 regular season, where he will hope to continue turning haters into fans.
