NEW ORLEANS — The first time Jalen Hurts was in the Super Bowl, he was the best player on the field.
If there has been a recent Super Bowl in which a player on the losing team had a great case to be MVP, Super Bowl LVII was probably it. Hurts had 304 yards passing and a touchdown, and added 70 yards rushing and three more touchdowns. He was amazing.
Of course, that was all overshadowed. Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdowns and led a second-half comeback. The Chiefs won the game. Mahomes was Super Bowl MVP.
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Hurts is back in the Super Bowl, against the Chiefs again. As he met the media on Wednesday he was subdued, with a serious focus like the rest of his teammates have shown this week.
"The fun for me comes from winning," Hurts said. "It comes from achieving success that I set out to achieve."
Hurts has plenty of accolades. Getting over the hump and winning a Super Bowl would change the perception of him as a player even further.
Jalen Hurts has an efficient season
A lot is different for Hurts for this Super Bowl.
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Hurts' great day in the Super Bowl capped a fantastic season. Hurts might have won MVP two years ago if he didn't suffer an injury that cost him two games late in the season. In the offseason he signed a five-year, $255 million contract. He was 25 years old, minted as an NFL star.
"I know the last time we played him in the Super Bowl, I thought he was terrific," Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Wednesday. "He made some good throws, especially to his tight end. He's got our attention."
While Hurts certainly hasn't been bad since that Super Bowl and the contract that followed, he has been overshadowed on his own offense. Hurts won't get any MVP votes for this past season. Those might go to running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 2,000 yards and will be a focal point of Super Bowl LIX.
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Hurts had 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns in the regular season, which is pretty low for a quarterback on an elite team in this era. Hurts had at least 3,700 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in each of the previous two seasons.
Hurts isn't playing poorly, he's just not a high-volume passer with Barkley taking over the offense. And the threat of Hurts running the ball does open things up for Barkley. Spagnuolo was asked what is different with Hurts since the last Super Bowl meeting.
"Only that he gets better and better," Spagnuolo said. "He can sit back there and be a pocket quarterback, he can beat you with his legs, he's well rounded."
Since the Chiefs' 38-35 win over the Eagles two years ago, Kansas City has changed too. It's a much better defensive team. Hurts is aware of what he and his team will be up against on Sunday.
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"This is a great opponent we're about to play. A really good opponent," Hurts said. "Well coached. Great players. Smart. It'll be a big challenge for us."
Hurts tries to get a Super Bowl ring
The Eagles offense might revolve around Saquon Barkley, but quarterbacks have the most on the line in any Super Bowl. A quarterback's legacy changes drastically with just one Super Bowl win. Hurts was fantastic in his first Super Bowl, but that doesn't move the needle as much as winning a ring would. That's just how it goes for quarterbacks.
Many losing Super Bowl quarterbacks never get another shot at a title, and Hurts knows what has to be different this time.
"Just finding a way to finish," Hurts said. "You sacrifice a lot, you put a lot in, work really hard to have this opportunity. To do it and be back two times in four years starting is special, and the goal is to finish."
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Even though Hurts is just 26 years old and the Eagles have a strong foundation, there's no guarantee he'll be back in another Super Bowl. You can't let too many opportunities to win one pass by.
"This is the opportunity you work for, for a very long time," Hurts said. "You put a lot of work in for moments like this, and you want to take advantage of it."
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