A place in pantheon of great performances no consolation for Jalen Hurts

The 24-year-old quarterback made a single, costly error against the Kansas City Chiefs but was otherwise superb in defeat for Philadelphia

BIG PLAYS: Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after running for a two yard touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Pic: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Jalen Hurts made one mistake in Super Bowl LVII, as Kansas City and Philadelphia were trading blows early in the second quarter in Glendale, Arizona. Facing third and five from his 49-yard line, the Eagles star fielded a shotgun snap and lunged forward in an obvious quarterback draw play, only to immediately find himself under pressure from the Chiefs’ pass rush. As Hurts staggered to his right to avoid incoming Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton, the ball slipped out and tumbled backward on to the turf. Without breaking stride, Bolton scooped it up at the 36-yard line and, with a three-man Chiefs convoy, sprinted into the endzone to tie the game at 14-14.

It was the kind of play that could have dented Hurts’s confidence, given that the last time he stumbled on a stage this big was when he was leading Alabama in the 2018 college national championship game. This time, however, a back-up wasn’t trotting on to the field to replace Hurts, because his error didn’t permanently halt the Eagles momentum. But it didn’t spare them from a 38-35 defeat either. In the end Kansas City were simply the more resilient team thanks to their Michael Jordan in cleats, Patrick Mahomes. The official record should reflect that, but for a play here or there, it could have easily been Hurts basking in MVP glory after leading his team to victory.