Eagles’ Jalen Hurts makes interesting Nick Sirianni comment after NFC Championship win over Commanders

The relationship between Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni generated quite a bit of headlines from last January through the club’s ongoing postseason journey.

Following Philadelphia’s dominant 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, Hurts offered a curious comment about what he was able to achieve at Lincoln Financial Field en route to guiding the Eagles to a second Super Bowl berth in three years.

“He did a great job,” Hurts said about Sirianni, as shared by Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated. “I guess he let me out of my straitjacket a little bit today.”

Sirianni reportedly began the season on the hot seat after the 2023 Eagles suffered an epic collapse and after his working relationship with Hurts allegedly became at least somewhat “fractured.” The two then came together this past fall to help right the ship when the Eagles entered their Week 5 bye at 2-2, and they are now “in a better place” with the Eagles a win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 9 away from getting their hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Some previously criticized Hurts during the playoffs for not doing enough to help his offense as running back Saquon Barkley served as the team’s most valuable player across back-to-back wins. While Barkley torched the Commanders to the tune of 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns, Hurts also contributed three scores on the ground in what became a blowout.

In total, Hurts completed 20-of-28 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown against Washington.  “It’s not about me,” Hurts added during his postgame comments. “As I said, I don’t play the game for any statistical measure. Nothing more than just winning. We play the game to win. … I think in a sense this game chose me and this position chose me.”

Per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, Sirianni offered high praise for Hurts after the victory and noted how the 26-year-old “has been clutch” and “just continues to win” on big stages. Sirianni and Hurts will now look to avenge the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs that the Eagles suffered back in February 2023.  As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Philadelphia as a 1.5-point underdog against Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX.