Jalen Hurts is having an outstanding second NFL season, and many people view the Philadelphia Eagles star as the clear MVP of the league with just a handful of games left to play. Chris Simms sees things differently.
Simms, a former NFL quarterback who works as an analyst for NBC Sports, shared a hot take about Hurts during Friday’s edition of “PFT Live.” He said he would vote for Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen over Hurts for MVP. Simms’ rationale is that the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills would all be screwed without their current quarterbacks.
“This is one of those where I feel like it’s setting up where the quarterback of the best team is gonna win the MVP. There’s just no way he’s more valuable to his team than Mahomes, Burrow or Allen,” Simms said. “There’s no way. Those teams are not the same teams if they don’t have them at quarterback. If you put Gardner Minshew (in for) the Eagles, they’d still be really damn good. I’m sorry.”
Simms attributed much of Hurts’ success to head coach Nick Sirianni’s system. He also believes the Eagles are the most well-rounded team in the NFL.
“Hurts would not be my MVP vote, for sure,” Simms said. “It’s an incredible system that that coach has never even run before, but they had to run it because they couldn’t run their system with Jalen Hurts. It’s the best offensive line in football. It’s the best defensive line in football. If not for the 49ers, they’re the best defense in football. It’s the best rushing attack in football. It’s arguably the best duo at wide receiver in football.”
You can hear more of Simms’ comments below:
Chris Simms on Hurts: “There’s just no way he’s more valuable than Mahomes, Allen, or Burrow, no way. If Minshew is in, the Eagles are still damn good. I’m sorry.” pic.twitter.com/2T6EGwgmO5
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) December 16, 2022
There is no debating that Hurts has been outstanding this year. He has thrown for 3,517 yards, 22 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions through 13 games. The former Alabama star has added 686 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground. If his current pace continues, he could set an impressive NFL record.
What Simms takes issue with is the age-old debate of whether the MVP Award should be given to the best player or the most valuable. He is probably right that the Eagles would be better positioned to survive without their quarterback than the teams he mentioned. Our guess is most voters probably will not factor that into their decision.
