NFC Championship Game: Washington Commanders v Philadelphia Eagles
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PHILADELPHIA -- Winning is the only stat that matters for Jalen Hurts. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback has thrived in the situational football that has gotten his team to their second Super Bowl appearance in three years. 

Make Hurts beat you throwing the football has been the narrative surrounding the quarterback. Keep him in the pocket. Just two of the idioms that are used to critique Hurts and the Eagles passing game. 

Hurts has quelled both those narratives this postseason. His numbers have been strong in both categories:

  • Quarterback stats -- 48 of 69 (69.6%), 3 TD, 0 INT, 7.3 YPA 105.0 rating
  • In pocket -- 38 of 50 (76%), 394 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 7.9 YPA, 118.3 rating

In the passing stats that matter, Hurts has shined. A quarterback's success toward winning football games can be defined by the amount of turnovers they commit and their performance in situational football. Hurts has excelled in both.

  • Turnovers this postseason -- 0 (0 INT, 0 fumbles lost)
  • Third/fourth down passing -- 12 of 17 (70.6%), 163 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 9.6 YPA, 120.5 rating
  • Second half passing -- 21 of 26 (80.8%), 259 yards, TD, 0 INT, 10.0 YPA, 121.0 rating

Add in the rushing touchdowns to the totality of Hurts' numbers, and the Eagles quarterback has seven touchdowns to zero turnovers in three playoff games. Hurts is going to his second Super Bowl in three years as a result, one of just eight quarterbacks in NFL history to start two Super Bowls in his first five seasons. 

"It's amazing how much doubt there is sometimes," said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. "I can't quite comprehend it because it doesn't look like what people think it should look like."

What Hurts is doing is playing winning football, the situational passing numbers that matter when judging a quarterback's success. Hurts has as many touchdowns as incompletions in the fourth quarter of the playoffs (one), showing how efficient he has been with the ball in his hands and why the Eagles are getting leads and not relinquishing them.

Hurts' fourth-quarter stats have been a masterclass since the Eagles' bye week (Week 5), showcasing why the Eagles have won the last 13 games he has started and finished. 

  • Fourth quarter stats (since bye week) -- 35 of 43 (84.1%), 451 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 10.5 YPA, 133.0 rating

Hurts has as many touchdowns as incompletions in the fourth quarter since the bye week (8). The narrative Hurts can't throw has been disproven, in the passing numbers that actually matter toward winning football games. 

"It kind of blows your mind. He wins. He's a winner," Sirianni said. "I don't want anyone else leading us other than Jalen Hurts."

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