Not everyone was happy on Sunday when Jalen Hurts was crowned the most valuable player of Super Bowl 59.
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback outplayed his Kansas City Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes in the 40-22 drubbing at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. Hurts went 17/22 for 221 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. While Mahomes finished with more passing yards (257) and touchdowns (3), most of his stats came with the game already out of hand.
With the Chiefs’ defense keying in on Saquon Barkley, Hurts also served as the Eagles’ most effective rusher. He ran for 72 yards with a touchdown on 11 carries, constantly punishing Kansas City with some timely scrambles.
While Hurts had a strong game by any measure, the Eagles’ defense was arguably just as responsible for the win — if not more so. Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat felt like he had a legitimate case for Super Bowl MVP.
“I should’ve had it,” Sweat said, via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I could’ve had it. It’s all good, though.”
Sweat was a monster for Philly throughout the game. He led the team with a career-high 2.5 sacks. He also had a team-high six pressures, and his six tackles were second only to Zack Baun.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and at least two others voted for Sweat as the game’s MVP. But Hurts swayed more of the 16 voters to win the award.
The 27-year-old is one of the Eagles’ several free agents on the defensive side of the ball. After his showing in the Super Bowl, Sweat won’t have any shortage of suitors. But his recent take on free agency will likely have Eagles fans hopeful that he might re-sign.
