Jalen Hurts doesn’t care what you think about his passing stats. Or his rushing yards.
He doesn’t care what you think about the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, either.
He will always be player-driven by winning instead of statistics. Quarterbacks and coaches are the only team members with a won-loss record attached to their name.
Related: Tush Push may be good for Philadelphia Eagles but should be outlawed in NFL
Winning is what matters most at the game’s most important position. Statistically, former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is an average player, but he’ll be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day because he won two Super Bowls.
So you can say whatever you want about Hurts ranking 10th in passing yards (1,262) and 14th in passer rating (91.4) because all he cares about is Philadelphia being 5-0 and leading the NFC East by two games over the Dallas Cowboys.
Biggest motivating factor for Jalen Hurts
Sure, the massive contract he signed in the off-season — $250 million over five years with $179 million guaranteed — might have changed the conversation surrounding him, but the contract didn’t change him.
It never will. He’s motivated only by wins.
“This is a results-based business. You’re judged on what you do and the outcome of what you do. No one really cares how you do it,” Hurts told reporters. “They just want to see if you win or if you lose or if it works out or if it doesn’t.
“However, we find a way to do that whether it’s 150 by one guy toting the ball. Or a guy with a hot hand in the receiver room; winning is the main thing. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
Hurts, an MVP finalist, passed for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions with a passer rating of 101.5. He ran for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He was sensational in the Super Bowl, passing for 304 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 70 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t quite enough as Kansas City edged the Eagles, 38-35, on a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left.
“It’s about challenging yourself every day to play a standard that you desire and want to play to,” Hurts said. “It’s a priority. We want to continue to grow. We just want to find ways to win. We have parts of our game we still need to elevate. We have parts of our game we need to improve.
“My mindset is truly just continue to grow.”
How Jalen Hurts compares to Hall of Fame QBs
And that’s what sets him apart. Hurts has won 11 consecutive starts and 22 of 24 games.
The only quarterbacks with similar streaks in the Super Bowl era are Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, and Jim McMahon.
Brady, Manning, and Montana are in the Hall of Fame, and Mahomes will join them one day.
What silenced his critics, at least for a little while, is that he ran more in Sunday’s 23-14 win over the Rams than he had all season.
He carried 15 times for 72 years, including a nifty 17-yard scramble on third-and-7 in the third quarter. He juked two defenders and ignited his teammates on the drive-extending run that led to a field goal.
He owned third down, rushing eight times for 45 yards and completing six of eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.
That’s why Philadelphia is 5-0 for the first time since 2004 and the third time in franchise history.
“There’s gonna be games he has to get freaky out there,” coach Nick Sirianni said after the game. “I thought he did a really nice job of making some plays that only he can make.”
Jean-Jacques Taylor is the NFL Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter. He’s the author of Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men.