Eagles' Jalen Hurts expands on commitment comments

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts raised eyebrows when he said shortly after the club's 20-17 loss at the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night that he felt the team wasn't "committed enough."

Hurts expanded on those comments during his Thursday news conference. 

"My mind was in a place of really just trying to challenge myself," Hurts explained, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "...That all starts with me. And so when I say 'we,' I mean 'me,' because I’m the point guard out there. I’m the one that makes everything go. And I’m the guy that everyone trusts to set the pace for everything. That’s in how I play. That’s in my leadership. That’s in every aspect of the game, and it comes with the shoes that I walk in." 

Hurts was widely viewed as a legitimate NFL Most Valuable Player candidate for the season when the Eagles sat atop the conference standings at 10-1. Philadelphia has since dropped three straight games and now ranks at or near the bottom of the league in some noteworthy categories. Meanwhile, StatMuse shows that Hurts shares the league lead for the most total turnovers committed (17) on the campaign. 

Hurts and the Eagles agreed to a five-year extension worth up to $255M with $179.3M guaranteed this past offseason. 

"You challenge yourself, and you challenge the people around you," Hurts added. "But I think it’s just a situation where we are. It’s just something we’re going through, not something we’re stuck in." 

As of Thursday afternoon, oddschecker listed the Eagles second among the betting favorites at +450 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVIII. The 11-3 San Francisco 49ers topped the list at +100 odds at that time. 

Hurts and company have a so-called "get right" home game against the 5-9 New York Giants on Christmas. Oddschecker had the Eagles as 11.5-point favorites for that matchup on Thursday.