Ironically, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts can’t win. In the literal sense, all Hurts does is win, but despite his Super Bowl ring and Super Bowl MVP award, people still nitpick Hurts’s playing style.
On Sunday, newly enshrined Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees and Adam Amin handled the call for Fox’s broadcast of the Eagles’ 24-20 win over the Tennessee Titans. Midway through the second quarter, Brees offered a very specific Hurts criticism.
“I was hyping up Jalen Hurts, and now, I’m gonna get on him,” Brees said. “Lower your shoulder, and go get the first down. You slide, they’re gonna mark the ball where you started the slide, not where you end the slide. So, it’s not a tush push situation. It’s not 4th-and-1. It’s 4th-and-3.”
It was 4th-and-2. Hurts converted on a five-yard pass to Dontayvion Wicks, and nine plays later, Hurts hit DeVonta Smith for a 22-yard touchdown.
Brees’s criticism probably chafed Eagles fans everywhere, as the knock on Hurts has been that his punishing running style opened him up to unnecessary hits and potential injury. So, Hurts slides to avoid contact, and he gets criticized anyway.
Jalen Rose called out Brees, writing, “Brees couldn’t run against a Pop Warner team & never considered lowering his shoulder [cap emoji].”
Brees couldn’t run against a Pop Warner team & never considered lowering his shoulder. 🧢 https://t.co/X0W7nqpNMT
— Dr. Jalen Anthony Rose (@JalenRose) September 20, 2026
It didn’t matter in the grand scheme of the game. The Titans gave the Eagles all they could handle, taking a 20-17 lead with fewer than two minutes to go in regulation. Hurts led Philadelphia on a nine-play, game-winning drive, hitting Darius Cooper for a touchdown with nine seconds left.
DARIUS COOPER GIVES THE EAGLES THE LEAD
PHIvsTEN on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/jTkRuCKkaq— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026
Eagles’ wins are rarely pretty, but Hurts usually finds a way. This time, he led Philadelphia to the franchise’s first road win over the Titans since the Eagles “The House of Pain Game” victory over the Houston Oilers on Dec. 2, 1991.
About Megan Armstrong
Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.