Super Bowl 2025: 'Jalen Hurts will be reason Eagles win or lose Super Bowl - pressure is on him'
2025-02-06
Category: sports

The NFL season comes to an end with Super Bowl week - and what a week it is.If you hadn't heard, it's this incredible build-up to the Super Bowl and I've been in New Orleans all week for it.Every day is a little chunk of more excitement, whether it's Opening Night or being here on Radio Row. People are broadcasting from a huge hall to more than 190 countries, in 25 languages.NFL superstars are walking around all day doing interviews. I've just been chatting to [two-time Super Bowl winner] Malcolm Butler on a sofa. You don't see things like this in everyday life or in any other sport.Then you've got all the razzmatazz. The whole city is taken over by the NFL but in a really lovely, integrated way. They marry sport with culture and music and food. Everywhere you go, everyone has this real excitement for the game and they want to share their city.The events are non-stop. It's the NFL awards night on Thursday, then a party for international guests and a Mardi Gras type parade on Saturday. I'll even be on one of the floats.Then it's what we're all here for, the game itself.The Kansas City Chiefs are going for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat. A lot of people are saying they will do it, and they probably will, but let's give the Philadelphia Eagles a chance.It's a rematch of two years ago, when the Eagles were up by 10 points at the half. Then they were rotating their running backs in the second half, and not in a positive way, because they weren't able to get anything going.It's a much more favourable match-up now for the Eagles, mainly because they've brought in Saquon Barkley. Nobody does what he does.I was working on the sideline for the NFC Championship game and I really felt that seeing him on TV was one thing, seeing him in real life was phenomenal.I can still visualise it now, that lateral step he does when he runs into the line [of scrimmage] and then he's gone.His ability to play with vision, the way he follows his lead blockers, it's like a sixth sense. He's got that extra something. He feels space and can manoeuvre his body in a way that's just so explosive.I can't even explain the quickness of that. It makes everybody just lose their ankles because you don't expect somebody of his size and stature to move so quickly. It's just pure athleticism.There are very few people that can tackle him so I think Barkley's going to be huge for the Eagles.
If the Chiefs sell out to stop the run, that will force quarterback Jalen Hurts to pass the ball. There's doubt over him because he's not had to throw the ball much, but I don't think you need to doubt him just because he's not giving the media what they want.Hurts was nearly season MVP and Super Bowl MVP two years ago, and I think the change of opinion over him is ultimately because of Barkley.It doesn't have to be a negative thing. Hurts doesn't have to throw the ball. Why would you when you've got Barkley on your team?Hurts is throwing the ball less but that doesn't make him any less capable. The Hurts we're seeing now is still the Hurts from Super Bowl 57, so I think it's unfair for us to judge him that way.He's always had moments of holding on to the ball a bit too long but I would say that even throughout the season he's found a way to ride this wave where he's trying to protect the football or maybe should've released it or he's overthinking something. But he's not had the same offensive coordinator in the past five years. Look at the difference between him and Patrick Mahomes, who's had complete continuity throughout his career.I would say that the NFC Championship game was the best version that we have seen of Hurts. He and Barkley had three rushing touchdowns each, and Hurts had a touchdown pass too.But I think this is a huge game for him because if you look at the one person who has the most pressure on them, it is Hurts. It isn't Barkley, it isn't the Eagles' offensive line - those guys have been terrific - and they've got the number one defence.The Chiefs don't have stress on them because if they don't win, well they've gotten to the Super Bowl five times [in six years]. I think Hurts is going to bear the brunt of it. He's the guy that is going to be the reason why the Eagles win or lose.I feel the biggest thing in this game is who has the ball last, who's got that final possession to be able to drive the ball down the field.You've got two incredible defences, two quarterbacks who aren't turning the ball over, so I think this game's going to be tight.Phoebe Schecter was speaking to BBC Sport's Ben Collins