Jalen Hurts said he took inspiration from his doubters after his Super Bowl loss two years ago, and used it to fuel his Most Valuable Player performance on Sunday.
The 26-year-old quarterback threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in a virtuoso performance to power the Philadelphia Eagles to a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans. Hurts completely outshone opposite number Patrick Mahomes who endured a nightmare evening, being sacked six times by the rampant Eagles defence.
Hurts completed 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, while rushing 11 times for 72 yards and a touchdown to capture the MVP award after enduring years of critics saying he would never be a champion following a 2023 Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, who were denied in their bid for a 'three-peat'.
No team had previously won back-to-back titles and returned to the Super Bowl, but the Chiefs rarely looked like completing the treble and a fourth win in six years.
"I never said it bothered me. I accepted it for what it was. I found a thrill in it," Hurts said of the criticism he endured after defeat in 2023.
"I can't control what these people think. If it takes all the hate and all the scrutiny and all the different opinions for me to be a world champion, then keep it coming."
Hurts kept the image of him walking off the field after Super Bowl 57 with Chiefs-coloured confetti falling down around him as the screen saver image on his phone.
"That's something nobody is supposed to know about," Hurts said, but admitted that a new image with him holding the championship trophy would be better. "Damn right it is," he said.
Hurts became the first player to ever lead his team in passing and rushing yards in multiple Super Bowls, having done so in 2023 and 2025. He also became the second player with two touchdown passes, a rushing touchdown, and more than 50 rushing yards in a Super Bowl after legend Joe Montana. And he broke his own Super Bowl record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 72.
Hurts suffered a concussion against Washington on December 22 and missed the team's final two regular-season games but returned for the playoffs and was decisive in orchestrating four post-season triumphs.
"It has been a long year of competition and we change things, but we get our reps in, we work," Hurts said. "When I came back from the concussion, the number one thing I said going into the post-season was let's look back at this and say it was all worth it. It's worth it. Everything was worth it."
Eagles defence dominates
The Eagles were denied a promising field position on the opening possession when AJ Brown was adjudged to have fouled cornerback Trent McDuffie after catching a 30-yard pass from Hurts on fourth down.
They went close again midway through the first quarter, but having been ruled down a yard short they opened the scoring when Hurts was driven over from close range. Hurts looked to stretch the advantage early in the second quarter, but his attempted pass was intercepted by Bryan Cook.
The Eagles stretched their lead midway through the second quarter as Jake Elliott added a 48-yard field goal after being moved back five yards by another penalty.
Mahomes’ difficult evening continued as he was sacked for a second time on the first down after the score. It got worse on the next play, Cooper DeJean intercepting his pass and returning it 38 yards for a touchdown on his 22nd birthday, Elliott adding the extra point to make it 17-0.
Mahomes was sacked again as the Chiefs again failed to respond and were forced to punt. Worse was to come for the quarterback, linebacker Zack Baun intercepting him deep in Chiefs territory and the Eagles took full advantage with Hurts finding Brown for another touchdown.
More penalties dogged the Chiefs’ final drive of the half as they reached the break 24-0 down – the second-highest half-time deficit in the Super Bowl – after a mere 23 yards of offence.
The second half started in much the same fashion, the Eagles sacking Mahomes again as the Chiefs were once more forced to punt. The Eagles were stopped near the Chiefs line, but Elliott was able to stretch the gap with a field goal.
That lead grew even further after another stalled Chiefs drive, Hurts finding DeVonta Smith from 46 yards for another touchdown. The Chiefs finally got on the scoreboard just before the end of the third quarter, Mahomes finding Xavier Worth to get them into Eagles territory and then connecting with the same player from almost on the sideline. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
Another Elliott field goal stretched the gap to 37-6 and he struck again from 50 yards after the Chiefs defence once more sacked Mahomes and recovered the ball.
A seven-yard touchdown catch by DeAndre Hopkins and a 50-yard effort from Worthy late on, both with two-point conversions, gave the scoreline a less lopsided appearance.
Mahomes takes the blame
There was a three-play sequence in the second quarter that summed up Mahomes' evening.
Philadelphia had taken a 10-0 lead and the two-time defending champions were on the ropes when Mahomes was sacked by the Eagles' Josh Sweat. On the next play, Sweat took him out again. And on the ensuing play, the two-time NFL MVP was under such pressure that Mahomes threw an interception that DeJean returned 38 yards for a score.
Six sacks. Three turnovers. And not a sliver of Mahomes magic. By the time he trudged off the Superdome turf, and the Eagles were able to run down the last seconds from the clock, Mahomes and the Chiefs were sent home with a humbling, almost embarrassing defeat on the big stage.
“They played better than us from start to finish,” Mahomes said. "We didn't start how we wanted to. The turnovers hurt. I take all the blame for that. Those turnovers swing the moment of the game and they capitalized on them. They scored on one and got a touchdown immediately after another. That's 14 points I gave them. It's hard to come back from that in the Super Bowl.
“I didn't play to my standard,” Mahomes added. “And I have to be better next time.”