Saquon Barkley isn't here for any Jalen Hurts slander. The star quarterback has been on the receiving end of some criticism following Philadelphia's 22-10 Wild Card round victory over the Green Bay Packers, as he threw for just 131 yards (and two touchdowns). But, Barkley is standing ten toes behind his quarterback.
Saquon Barkley has his quarterback's back
"Jalen is built for this," Barkley said. "He has highs, he has lows, but he led this team to a Super Bowl and did a really good job in the Super Bowl. I remember being in New York watching it and being amazed.
"He did a great job," Barkley added of Hurts. "He came out and he won a football game for us. We won together, and that’s the most important thing. That’s our leader and we got his back."
Barkley is completely correct, and as is typically the case, the criticsm of Hurts has been completely overblown. The dude was coming off of a concussion that sidelined him for multiple weeks, and he was still able to toss two touchdowns and lead the Birds to victory while not commiting a single turnover.
For comparison's sake, Packers quarterback Jordan Love had three interceptions and zero touchdowns in the game. So, who had the better performance? Box score watchers who constantly seek huge numbers from Hurts may be loud on social media, but at the end of the day, winning is what it's all about, and that's exactly what Hurts does.
Following the victory over Green Bay, Hurts is now tied for the fourth-most playoff wins by a QB in Eagles history, and he has the Birds in position to go on another deep playoff run after leading them to the Super Bowl just two years ago.
“It's all about winning,” Hurts said. “That's the only thing we've got to the point we are. So, it's about finding ways to win.”
Wins aren't always going to look pretty, especially in the playoffs, but it's not a coincidence that the Eagles have done a whole lot of winning with Hurts. That fact may be lost on some, but it clearly isn't lost on Barkley and other players in the locker room.