Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Film Review: Jalen Hurts silenced all the doubters
SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! This post needs no introduction. What an unbelievable performance from Jalen Hurts, who silenced all the doubters. LETS GO! [Previously: Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Film Review: Vic Fangioās defense was unbelievably excellent]
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Offense
I am convinced that Jalen Hurts was not fully healthy this season. I donāt think heās looked as fast as he has previously, and heās only 26 years old. In this one, he looked as fast as I have seen him look all season. He had some huge scramble,s and he took off at the right moment. Hurts did what I said he should do a few weeks ago. When the Eagles call 2×2 concepts (which I donāt love, and Iāve explained why before), he doesnāt yet have the ability to get to his backside routes consistently. However, that doesnāt bother me! I am completely happy with him reading half the field and then checking it down or taking off up the field if necessary. He did this really well in this game. It prevented negative plays and sacks and kept the offense in rhythm throughout the game. The Chiefs were focused on stopping Saquon Barkley, and I think they forgot about the ability of Hurts to extend plays. Hurts managed to avoid negative plays, which is very important against this defense. Hurts managed the game and the situation perfectly.
Eagles Offense Super Bowl All22 vs. Chiefs. 1) I thought Hurts used his legs exceptionally well in this game. He looked fast. I am perfectly fine with him reading one half of the field and taking off with his legs if nothing is open. Taking negative plays would have ruined thisā¦ pic.twitter.com/VShdFT9OYt
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
Did anyone else completely lose their mind when this flag was thrown? It was a horrendous call. I loved the aggressive to go for it on 4th down and take the shot to AJ Brown. It set the tone and showed that the Eagles were not scared of the Chiefsā defense. The Chiefs played a lot of man coverage, and Trent McDuffie lined up over AJ Brown. I predicted the Chiefs would do this and that AJ Brown would beat McDuffie. I was correct!
Trent McDuffie is an excellent (although undersized) corner who may end up on AJ Brown. I think this would be a fantastic matchup for the Eagles, even though McDuffie is good, because I think AJ Brown can physically dominate him at the catch point and the line of scrimmage.
McDuffie is a great cornerback, but AJ Brown is an elite receiver. Brown might be the best receiver against man coverage in the league right now. I know that fans became annoyed with the lack of creativity and reliance on down-the-field throws at times last year, but I have consistently said that I do not mind it. I like this play on 4th down. It is not a 50/50 ball when you have AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts. Hurts throws this ball better than anyone in the league. This should have been a huge gain. I was so frustrated because it was never offensive pass interference. AJ Brown won this rep fair and square.
2) What an aggressive call on 4th down. McDuffie is a great corner but he couldn’t handle AJ Brown in man coverage. Hurts threw a few beautiful vertical throws outside the numbers. This should have been a huge conversion but it’s a terrible call by the refs that ruin a hugeā¦ pic.twitter.com/srsd3D5f6V
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
I am sure we all predicted that Jahan Dotson would make the first big play of the game! This was another great read and throw by Jalen Hurts. He reads the late safety rotation and takes the one-on-one matchup on the outside. The Eagles pick up the blitz perfectly, and Barkleyās block in the backfield is outstanding. Like the defense, this offense was prepared for whatever the Chiefs called.
Dotsonās route here is really interesting. Dotson does not get off press coverage very well. Itās his biggest issue as a receiver. He wins here, though! He runs this route as if he is blocking for a screen on the outside,e and he sucks the outside cornerback in. I would love to ask him if this is something he saw in his film study and planned it. If it was planned, itās a fantastic bit of game planning! Dotson sells it perfectly. If itās something that Dotson does on the fly, thatās equally impressive.
3) Dotson with the first big play of the game… Just like we called it! I watched this a lot and I think he fakes like he’s blocking then gets vertical. It’s very clever and I wonder if it was based on something the team saw on film. Hurts reads the safety rotation perfectly andā¦ pic.twitter.com/3Rhxvm4tvG
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
I felt excellent about the game after this one. The progression that Jalen Hurts has made as a quarterback since coming out of college is huge. It would be nice if media members spent more time highlighting his progression (perhaps I will write about this soon…) rather than talking about what he doesnāt do well. His progression over the past few years has been huge. This was a smart play.
4) I knew the game was going to end well after this one. I just knew Hurts was feeling it. On 3rd and long, the Chiefs show pressure then drop out of it. Hurts identifies this quickly, reads the safety dropping, and fires it into Smith. This is simple but excellent QB play. Iā¦ pic.twitter.com/9hybdSEao9
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
The Eagles could not run the ball. If the Eagles had lost this game, Philadelphia radio stations would be going absolutely mental. Itās almost incredible how bad the Eaglesā run game was. Saquon Barkley had 25 carries for 57 yards with a 15% success rate. That is absurd! This was one of the best run games of all time, and they just couldnāt get anything going. Iāll get into why later. The run game played a role in the offense’s success despite being ineffective.
However, the Eagles still ended with 135 rushing yards, and much of it was down to the play of Jalen Hurts. I am such a fan of this one. The Eagles are good enough to win in the regular season without getting Hurts hit too much. However, you donāt need to hold back when it’s the Super Bowl. In truth, I think the Eagles did not run Jalen Hurts enough in this game. I would have used him more and Barkley less because it is clear that Hurts was more effective in the run game.
5) Huge fan of this one. I get that you don’t want Hurts to take hits, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing this a bit more to be honest. Hurts looked so fast all game. Saquon is awesome as a lead blocker too! I think the Eagles commitment to the run kept the defense honest allā¦ pic.twitter.com/u7wcBONIrb
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
This was the only awful play of the game. Hurts had 1 turnover-worthy throw and 9 big-time throws in this game, which is pretty impressive. But this one was bad. Thereās a lot I didnāt like. Firstly, I would prefer the offense to have a check where the outside receiver can simply stop and catch a short hitch route if the outside cornerback blitzes. Instead, AJ Brown goes deep. Hurts correctly identifies the cornerback blitz and takes the one-on-one shot, which is no surprise. Sadly, the offensive line blows their assignment here (I have no idea why Cam Jurgens blocks to his left), and Hurts is hit as he releases the ball. This leads to the interception. Hurts has to throw this as a sack would knock them out of field goal range. I would have preferred something shorter against an outside corner blitz.
However, it was only one play. Except for this, Hurts did a fantastic job avoiding negative plays and putting the ball in harm’s way. And this play wasnāt entirely on him.
6) Everything is bad here. I’d prefer AJ Brown to just stop and face the QB when he sees the blitz. I’m not sure why Jurgens turns to his left and allows a free rusher. Hurts make the right decision but he is hit and badly underthrows it. No one looks good here. Credit Spags forā¦ pic.twitter.com/NFrqDai622
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
Right, letās get into it. Iāve had a lot of questions about why the Eaglesā running game was so ineffective. Iāve watched every single run from multiple angles, and these are my takeaways as to why…
The Chiefsā defensive plan was to stop the run. They were hyper-focused on it. They always had men around the line of scrimmage. When they played two high, the safeties came flying downhill quickly. The Chiefs tackled exceptionally well. Overall, the Chiefsā defense was outstanding in run defense. You can tell that they spent most of the past 2 weeks watching the Eaglesā running game.
The Eaglesā interior offensive line could not create much running room. Landon Dickerson was clearly hurt and did not play as well as usual. I noticed in my Patreon rewatch that Cam Jurgens had a few poor reps. I wonder if he played hurt, too. The Eagles’ offensive line could not double the defensive line and get to the 2nd level because the Chiefs were flying downhill so quickly. This was a big issue in the zone running game.
It was not a schematic problem. The Eagles tried a lot of different things. I saw toss plays, under-center runs with a full back, outside zone, inside zone, counter, QB runs, etc. The Eagles tried a lot of different things. Nothing worked!
Saquon Barkley didnāt have a āmagicalā performance. Sometimes, Barkley creates something out of nothing. But he couldnāt in this game. Nick Bolton was excellent at tackling on the open field, and the Chiefsā defenders flew to the football.
Despite all of these points, the run game played a role in this victory! The early down run game got the Eaglesā offense on schedule. Even if they only picked up 2-3 yards, it didnāt put them behind the sticks. The Eaglesā passing game was more straightforward because the Chiefsā defense focused on stopping the run. I probably wouldnāt have run Barkley 25 times, but I was glad the Eagles committed to the run. They didnāt become one-dimensional. That was important.
7) The Chiefs’ run defense was outstanding. The DL played really well. The secondary came down field in a hurry and tackled well. They played the Eagles read stuff well. You have to give credit to the Chiefs’ defense. It was a shame Barkley didn’t get going, but he still had aā¦ pic.twitter.com/G3HOTe6Aqo
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
Listen, thereās been a lot of Kellen Moore talk this week. I would have liked him to have stayed as offensive coordinator just to give this offense stability. However, you donāt need to worry about this offense next year. This offense is not schematically brilliant. It feels weird to say this in a blowout, but I wasnāt the biggest fan of the game plan this week. I preferred last weekās game against Washington much more than this one. There were a few nice play calls, but a lot of the offenseās success came down to the ability of Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, and Devonta Smith. I donāt care who the offensive coordinator is next year – you can still run this. This is almost impossible to stop. This offense has too much talent not to be good.
Honestly, Iāve been frustrated with the passing offense for a long time this season. I think this team will be fine without Kellen Moore.
8) I don’t care who the next Eagles OC is, this offense will be winning outside the numbers all day. Elite ball placement again. AJ Brown has such quick late hands. This is almost impossible to stop. The Chiefs thought McDuffie could handle AJ Brown and they were wrong. Brown isā¦ pic.twitter.com/DUTulMk6C0
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
Hereās another play design that I didnāt love. The Eagles returned to more 2×2 routes rather than the type of plays we saw against Washington, where Hurts had multiple options in his line of vision. There is nothing open here. Hurts make the right decision to get out the pocket rather than trying to do too much. He only took two sacks in total, which was a big reason the offense succeeded. Once again, I didnāt look at this game and think that the Eagles must keep their offensive coordinator. Maybe Iām harsh, but I can only say what I see!
9) This may be controversial, but I didn’t love the Eagles passing game plan as much as the NFC Conference game. I thought we saw some annoying Kellen Moore designs, like this one, where there’s nothing available to Hurts once he turns down the quick throw. This performance wasā¦ pic.twitter.com/OBqxW3DBXw
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
This was probably my favorite offensive play of the night. This is a beauty. You canāt see this too well on the All22, but the Eagles sprinted to the line of scrimmage and snapped this one quickly. They caught the Chiefsā defense on their heels. The Eagles run every one to the right-hand side and bring AJ Brown in the opposite direction. It may sound simple, because it is! Simplicity in football can be great. The Chiefsā defenders are caught up in the traffic, and AJ Brown sneaks out to the flat wide-open. This is easy.
10) Easy money. Have everyone running to one side and sneak AJ Brown out to the opposite flat. This is lovely. It was awesome to see AJ Brown score in the SB. He was a stud. pic.twitter.com/jWqj8fEjep
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
If I were coaching Jalen Hurts, I would love to get him to do this more. I think this offense has untapped potential outside of structure. I will always be process > results, and I like the process of this play call, even if it doesnāt work as designed. I prefer getting receivers within Hurts’ line of vision rather than 2×2 concepts, as I said before. Hurts breaks out of the pocket, keeps his eyes down the field, and hits Barkley along the sideline. Although Barkley did not have his best game as a runner, he impacted the passing game.
11) I love this. A 4 strong look but the Chiefs cover it well. Something I would love Hurts to work on is his play out of structure, like this play below. I wish he did this more. Barkley does a great job finding the open void in the defense and Hurts fires it in. Good stuff! pic.twitter.com/u7pM8wsgLp
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
This is the good stuff. I could watch it over and over again. Since the Super Bowl, I may have watched it at least 50 times…
The Eagles run counter-action upfront, which I have been asking for all season long. The defense sees the pulling guards and expects a run. However, the Eagles are actually running a 3-level stretch play, with Devonta Smith running a deep post route. This play is a split-safety killer and Hurts read the safety rotation perfectly and knows that the deep safety will bite on the Flood route, which means that he will have a shot at the deep post. Itās an unbelievable throw and catch. This play will go down in the Eaglesā history.
Also, on a more random note, watch the Chiefsā linebackers bite on the play-action. This defense was obsessed with stopping Barkley in the run game.
12) Oh baby. Looks like Counter run action upfront. The safety bites down on Goedert. DeVonta Smith wrecks the CB at the LOS and makes a fantastic catch down the field. What an absolute dime by Hurts. The talent level on this offense is simply absurd. This is a dream job for anā¦ pic.twitter.com/vkptqk6RmO
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
Iāve saved my rant for last. Letās talk about Jalen Hurts. Some of the criticism of him as a quarterback has been utterly absurd this year. Iāve been accused of being pro-Hurts this year, but I almost needed to defend him because he faces so much undeserved criticism. He is not perfect. He is not the finished product. He is a 26-year-old who has outplayed Mahomes in 2 separate Super Bowls and just won Super Bowl MVP. He doesnāt turn the ball over very much. He is exceptionally accurate down the field. Heās a massive part of the Eaglesās run game. In my player review of Hurts at the end of 2023, I concluded by saying this…
I think deciding if you have a franchise quarterback is pretty simple. Can I win a Super Bowl with him? The answer with Hurts is yes. How do I know this? I watched him ball out in the playoffs, and I still think he would have beaten Patrick Mahomes in a shootout if James Bradberry hadnāt gotten called for holding on 3rd down. Just ask Josh Allen how hard it is for a quarterback to compete with Mahomes.
This is not an āEagles-Cowboysā rivalry thing, I promise, but I do find it funny when I see Dak ranked a tier above Hurts. I think on film, you can certainly argue Dak is a better passer during the regular season and at this point in their respective careers. But itās close and you canāt just ignore the playoffs. That is when it all matters!
I have seen Hurts deliver in the playoffs and on the biggest stage of them all. This is why Iām not worried about Hurts long-term, and I think he played better this season than a lot of people give him credit for.
Ignore some of the nonsense you read online about Hurts. There would have been a lot of General Managers watching this Super Bowl and wishing they could replace their current quarterback with Jalen Hurts. I am so happy for him and so proud of his performance. Heās faced a lot of setbacks in his career, and itās incredible to remember just how young he is. There are a lot of quarterbacks in this league who are consistently ranked above Hurts yet have never had anywhere near the success that he has had so far in his career. The Eagles are so lucky to have him.
13) Let’s end here. Jalen Hurts may not throw the perfect backside dig route… But he wins in other ways. In fact, all he does is win!
I don’t think he’s been fully healthy this year. He was as fast as I’ve seen him in a long time in the Super Bowl. He looked so athletic.
26ā¦ pic.twitter.com/6L7WIplM9j
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) February 10, 2025
What a season.
SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!
Thank you for reading! Iād love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.
