The Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills both advanced to their conference championship games with home divisional round wins last Sunday. So why is Eagles QB Jalen Hurts not getting the same amount of applause that Bills QB Josh Allen is getting? Cam Newton knows why.
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Newton answered fan questions on the latest episode of his 4th&1 podcast. One of his viewers asked him about the “varying narratives” surrounding Hurts, Allen, and Lamar Jackson. Newton addressed the noise on Hurts and Allen specifically because they have games this weekend.
He said the differing perspectives on their level of play stem from their respective teammates.
“Josh [Allen’s] supporting casts are nameless. Jalen [Hurts’] supporting cast is the Hollywood walk. You got Saquon [Barkley], you got Devonta Smith… A.J. Brown. That’s the difference… Josh Allen is the bigger name. I can’t say Jalen Hurts is the bigger name on the offensive side in Philly.”
Barkley ran for 205 yards and two scores in Philadelphia’s 28-22 triumph over the Los Angeles Rams. He added another 27 yards as a receiver. Allen’s stable of running backs – James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Ray Davis – recorded 150 total yards as Buffalo defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-25.
One can’t make an apples-to-apples comparison of Hurts and Allen’s playoff showings. Hurts has started seven postseason contests to Allen’s 12. That said, one can use averages and rate statistics to offer insight into their production.
How similar are Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen’s playoff numbers?
Allen (65.7%) and Hurts (65.0%) sit neck-and-neck in completion percentage throughout their playoff careers. Despite this, Allen holds a nearly 68 passing-yard advantage per game (260.2) over Hurts (192.3) on six more attempts per contest (35.5 to 29.4). For the bulk of their careers, Allen has been the better postseason performer.
Through two games these playoffs, Allen has more passing yards (399) than Hurts (259). His 70-yard-per-game edge tracks with their career differentials. But so far this year, Allen has also completed a much higher percentage of his passes (75.0%) than Hurts (68.3%). To this point, he again has been the stronger playoff passer.
JOSH ALLEN. TY JOHNSON. WOW
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Newton mentioned that the Eagles have a superstar-laden supporting cast around Hurts. The Bills have good players backing Allen, but their combined might isn’t the same. As a result, Philly is having Hurts function as a game manager to win. Meanwhile, Buffalo needs Allen to carry them to the promised land.
There are multiple ways to win a Super Bowl. Hurts and Allen have different roles within their organizations, but both share the same end goal. We may not learn which is the better path until they potentially meet with the Lombardi Trophy on the line.
