Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (Post-Game Transcript)
On how he feels physically:
“Tough game. A challenging game. I was able to finish the game, and we will see how the week goes.
On if he suffered two separate injuries during the game:
“No.”
On what it means playing late in the season trying to get to the Super Bowl:
“It is everything. This is what you work for. This is what all of our energy and all of my energy has been geared towards.”
On what it was like playing in the snow:
“It was a new experience. Definitely, next time that happens, I’ll be able to look back and pull from this game and be better from it.”
On what kind of things he will pull from today’s game, especially with the conditions:
“Well, the communication is important. The fundamentals are important. And just being in attack mode. But I think those are all things that generally you should be focused on anyway, regardless of the conditions. I want to give a ton of credit to the team we just played. They’ve evolved as the years have gone on, and offensively, defensively, they’ve been very, very efficient in what they do. We talked about their front seven all week and how they’re able to affect the pass, and they did that tonight. On the other side of the ball, they were able to move the ball at certain points, but our defense nutted up and played a hell of a game. They got some crucial turnovers in those moments. Just attest that to the work that everyone has put in and be able to come out here and play in a snow game.”
On whether his status is uncertain for next week:
“Great question. No. Just seeing how the week will go. Seeing how things progress.”
On whether he feels confident that he will play next week:
“Yeah.”
On what he takes away from the pressure he faced today:
“I’ll need to watch the film to be able to assess it better, but rhythm is everything. Rhythm is everything, and we just have to be able to find our rhythm in what we do. And rhythm doesn’t mean quick passes, long passes, or whatever. It’s just finding our niche in what we do. I think what we’ve been able to do this year in terms of what our rhythm is, we love to start off fast in some way, get some explosives, and pop some big time explosive plays in the second half. I think [Eagles RB] Saquon [Barkley] has been tremendous at that. Rain, sleet, or snow, he’s been able to pound, pound, pound, and then take it off. That was fun. That was cute. Just being able to pop it out first for us.”
On what made his TD counter run work:
“Saquon needed a break, so I told him I’d do it first. Get me a piece.”
On his view of Eagles DT Jalen Carter’s late sack:
“Great defensive play. Sitting there, watching from the sideline, my mindset is preparing for two minute [offense]. Just getting ready for the game and what’s going to be demanded of the offense and myself to go out there and win it. But our defense went out there and ended it on their terms, and I couldn’t be more proud of them for that.”
On if the game was challenging with the weather conditions:
“I think if you have the right mental approach, they’re all the same. It all bounces back on your preparation, how you prepare. The conditions are different in each game, but being able to say, I’ve prepared for whatever is going to come. It was a different game, but we were able to weather the storm. That took complementary football, that took big-time plays on offense in the right moments, that took big-time plays on defense in the right moments, and special teams being able to play the way they did. I would’ve loved to capitalize on those turnovers when we had those opportunities, and we will the next time around. But just happy we were able to pull this one out and get a win as a team.”
On when he’s happy to face the Washington Commanders for a third time this season after being injured in the last meeting in Washington:
“I’m just excited for the next opportunity.”
On if the opponent would have mattered to him:
“It wouldn’t have mattered.”
On the mentality of the offense on the sideline when waiting for the defense to get them back on the field:
“I don’t know that we’re even processing it that way, or that we’re taught to process it that way. We’re just focused on going out there and trying to put our best foot forward. But it was a game where there were some blows thrown on each side, and our defense showed up. They were able to turn the ball over in crucial moments. I think that’s always a hidden secret, a hidden gem in everything, is winning the turnover battle, and we were able to do that. We’ve been able to do that, and that’s been a big reason why we’ve been winning a lot of games.”
On what Eagles RB Saquon Barkley said to him before his 78-yard touchdown run:
“I don’t know.”
On the offense’s approach to play-calling when starting drives deep in their own territory:
“For me, it’s just going out there and trying to execute what is called and get first downs. That might be a [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore] or [Head Coach] Nick [Sirianni] question.”
On the team taking deep shots throughout the game and what prevented them from being successful:
“We just didn’t connect. Just didn’t connect this time around. It’s been a minute in general since we’ve done that as a whole. So, holistically as an offense, we just want to go out there and take advantage of all the opportunities we have at hand and continue to learn from them.”
On what it’s like to watch Eagles RB Saquon Barkley play:
“I knew exactly what was about to happen. Just the run we had on, how they were playing the run, and then the man you’re handing the ball off to. You know that there’s an opportunity to take advantage of it, and he took advantage of it. It was a big-time play we needed.”
On if the offense can be better next week:
“Enough is never enough. Our performance today was enough to win, but enough is never enough in terms of the standards we have for ourselves and what we want to do. There’s always a hunger. There’s always a drive for more and this urge to continue to improve, and that’s how it will continue to be. At this point in the season, the number one thing is about improving. When you play the game, it’s about improving, but the number one thing in playoff ball is winning and finding ways to win the game. We want to play complementary football, be able to find ways to win, and go out there and find a way to win.”