Biggest challengers to a Chiefs three-peat: No. 5, Jalen Hurts’ Eagles

Editor’s note: This is the first of a five-part series on the quarterbacks and teams best equipped to challenge Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and potentially stop them from becoming the first NFL team in the Super Bowl era to three-peat. No. 5 on our list: Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.

In Super Bowl 52, Jalen Hurts did what most quarterbacks can’t fathom: trade blows with Patrick Mahomes on the biggest stage.

Hurts was a force with both his arms and legs, giving the Chiefs a full taste of his dual-threat prowess — the skill set that made him the runner-up for NFL MVP to Mahomes that season. In the NFL title game, Hurts completed 71% of his passes for 304 yards and a touchdown. He added 15 carries for 70 yards, three more touchdowns and a two-point conversion. 

The Eagles ultimately lost 38-35 — the Chiefs hit the game-winning field goal with eight seconds left — but Hurts registered one of the best Super Bowl performances ever. 

“That was a special performance that I don’t want to get lost because of the loss they had,” Mahomes acknowledged postgame.

Yet after that classic Super Bowl, Philadelphia imploded in 2023. A 10-1 start devolved into a 1-5 finish to the regular season. The Eagles were humiliated in the first round of the playoffs, falling 32-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild card. Reports of tension between Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni, an ineffective late-season offense and lackluster pass defense were primary issues. In some ways, the Eagles’ Super Bowl LVII appearance feels like a lifetime ago.

It wasn’t all bad last season. Hurts threw for career highs in passing yards (3,858) and passing touchdowns (23), and he registered a career best in rushing touchdowns (15) despite playing through a painful bone bruise in his left knee. Now healthy, he has been on fire during training camp in a Kellen Moore-led offense the quarterback has said is “probably 95 percent” new. 

With the addition of star running back Saquon Barkley, the Eagles might have their most talented offensive skill position group in franchise history. They also used their top two picks in the 2024 draft on defensive backs — Quinyon Mitchell (first round), Cooper DeJean (second round) — to shore up the secondary. 

Why Hurts and the Eagles could beat the Chiefs in a potential Super Bowl LVII rematch

It starts with Philadelphia’s new-look offense.

Seemingly on the hot seat, Sirianni fired offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and replaced him with Moore, who has been given close to total control of the unit. The former Cowboys and Chargers playcaller has implemented a quick-strike, motion-heavy scheme intended to make the Eagles harder to contain.

Last season, Philadelphia’s motion usage rate was 31.4%, the lowest in the NFL, according to Sportradar. By comparison, Moore’s Chargers offense last season used motion on 68.1% of its plays, fifth-highest. Expect the 2024 Eagles to be close to that motion usage rate. 

The Chiefs defense was elite last season — second in points and yards allowed, seventh in DVOA — and is expected to be very good again this year. But motion could be an avenue for the Eagles to exploit Steve Stagnuolo’s unit. 

Kansas City ranked fourth in pass defense overall, but it was 13th against the pass on plays that used motion, per Sportradar. While still better than most teams, that ranking could represent a sliver of hope for Hurts and a loaded cast of Eagles pass-catchers against an otherwise stout defense. Philadelphia boasts star wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, both of whom have registered back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and standout tight end Dallas Goedert.

In addition, Barkley will be a receiving option out of the backfield. The Chiefs have never faced him before, and Spagnuolo’s second stint as New York Giants defensive coordinator (2015-17) pre-dated Barkley’s time with the team (he was drafted in 2018). That unfamiliarity plays into the Eagles’ favor.

While he’s not the player he was as a rookie, when he led the league in scrimmage yards, the 27-year-old Barkley is still one of the top weapons at running back in the NFL. His 68.7 rushing yards per game last season ranked seventh.

Barkley could also help in the pass-protection department.

Hurts struggled against the blitz last season — a 75.2 passer rating, with eight of his career-high 15 interceptions coming against it, per TruMedia — and the Chiefs are a heavy blitzing team. They had a 32.9% blitz rate in 2023, seventh-most in the league, per Pro Football Reference.

According to Pro Football Focus’ Pass Blocking Efficiency metric, which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed, Barkley had a rating of 95.9 — which ranked 15th of 70 qualified running backs (min. of 24 pass-block snaps). The highest-rated Eagles tailback last season was D’Andre Swift (now with the Chicago Bears) at 92.7, which ranked 43rd. 

That could mean a world of difference for Hurts under duress in a potential Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs. 

And we already have a taste of what he is capable of on the biggest stage.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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