Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won the NFL world's respect in their Super Bowl loss last night after an incredibly gutsy performance in the tough loss, and gave an emotional speech in his post-game press conference.
Hurts had played a great game throughout the first-half, but the momentum could have swung when he fumbled the ball with the Kansas City Chiefs defence returning it for a touchdown. But Hurts came right back the next drive and lead the team down the field for a score, and consistently played well throughout the night - scoring four touchdowns while putting his body on the line on numerous plays.
In the second-half, the Eagles defence could not stop Patrick Mahomes, who showed why he will be considered as the most talented quarterback of all-time, even if he retires tomorrow, as he lead the offense to scoring 24 points in the second-half.
Even in the loss, many believe Hurts should have won the MVP award after his incredible performance - coming a long way from where he has been in previous years.
Hurts struggled in his first two seasons, with many questioning whether he should be the man to take the team forward, now silencing all doubters in what has been an amazing season. And the quarterback will have gained many more fans from what he said last night after the loss.
When asked what lesson he learnt from the loss by a 15-year-old sports podcaster, Hurts took a moment before saying: "You want to cherish these moments, you want to cherish these moments with the people that you have come so far with...
"Your family, your loved ones, your teammates, your peers - everyone that you do it with and do it for. I am so proud of this team for everything that we have overcome.
"Obviously we had a big time goal that we wanted to accomplish at the end, but we came up short. I think the beautiful part of it is that we all experience different pains, but you decide if you want to learn from it and be a teachable moment... I know that is what I will do."
The Eagles have found their franchise quarterback in Hurts, and look primed to compete for Super Bowl's for years to come under this regime.
Sign up to our End Zone newsletter for all the latest NFL news and analysis!
