Eagles' Saquon Barkley defends Jalen Hurts amid criticism

As shared by Jimmy Hascup of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts received some criticism after he passed for just 131 yards with a pair of touchdowns in this past Sunday's 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. 

For a piece produced by The Athletic's Brooks Kubena that was published on Friday, Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley left little doubt he and others in the locker room are confident Hurts can do whatever is needed to guide Philadelphia to more than just a home divisional-round victory over the Los Angeles Rams this coming Sunday afternoon. 

"The outside world, they may have a vision of how the quarterback position is basically played," Barkley explained. "But [Hurts] knows what he is, he knows what he’s good at, he knows what he’s able to do, how much of a weapon he is. He locks into that and we fuel off that as a team." 

Hurts has been under the figurative microscope ever since he signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $255M with $179.3M guaranteed in the spring of 2023. Some seemingly thought roughly 12 months ago that a supposed lack of leadership from Hurts played a role in Philadelphia's collapse late last season, and rumors then emerged this past summer claiming his relationship with head coach Nick Sirianni was an issue for the club. 

Those two seemingly are now on the same page, but Hurts' play often left much to be desired throughout this season as Barkley finished the campaign leading the league with 2,283 total yards from scrimmage.

According to Pro Football Reference, Hurts ended Week 18 ranked 10th in the NFL among qualified players with a 65.5 adjusted QBR, 20th with 2,903 passing yards and tied for 20th with 18 touchdowns through the air. While he tallied 14 rushing scores across 15 games, he was often referred to as a "tush push merchant." 

Barkley suggested that Hurts mostly cares about the stat that matters most regarding Philadelphia's pursuit of a title.

"Greatness doesn’t come from someone saying he can’t do this or he can’t do that, but him going out there and doing it and showing people," Barkley said about Hurts. "When I think about people that are great, greatness is the things you accomplish, the winning, the things you do as a team — all those little things. I feel like that’s his mindset, his goal." 

As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Eagles as six-point favorites over the Rams. If the weather slows Los Angeles' offense at Lincoln Financial Field as many expect, Hurts may not have to do all that much other than limit mistakes for the second consecutive weekend.