Two of the best teams in the NFC are facing off on Sunday, with the San Francisco 49ers heading to Philadelphia to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Ahead of the game, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer made an unbelievably bold claim while comparing the two quarterbacks in this matchup.
The Eagles have looked dominant this season with star quarterback Jalen Hurts at the helm, coming into Sunday’s game with a 10-1 record. Meanwhile, the 49ers have been great as well, coming into the game with an 8-3 record.
While both teams are clear contenders this year, the large majority of NFL fans would concede that Hurts is a far more proven quarterback than Purdy at this point of their careers.
However, Sielski claimed that while Hurts is “admired and beloved” in Philadelphia, Purdy would be “a god” if he played for the Eagles.
“Jalen Hurts is admired and beloved here, but Brock Purdy would be a god in Philadelphia. A god,” Sielski wrote in the pregame column.
It’s a pretty wild take considering Hurts is just a year removed from bringing the Eagles to the Super Bowl. And considering their play thus far this year, he could very well be on his way to leading them back to another one this season.
Purdy has obviously been impressive in the early portion of his career, but he still has a long way to go in the eyes of most football fans to be in the same class as someone like Jalen Hurts.
A tweet of the column from The Philadelphia Inquirer has since gone viral on social media with 1.1 million views. Plenty of critics certainly voiced their opinions in reply to this quote from Sielski.
“This is so unfair to Jalen Hurts, who does everything right on and off the field,” tweeted longtime Dallas Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. “He has his own underdog story. He wasn’t given anything and wasn’t drafted to be a starter. A hard worker. Blue collar guy. But Purdy is a better representative of Philly. A potential God. Why?”
This is so unfair to Jalen Hurts, who does everything right on and off the field. He his own underdog story. He wasn’t given anything and wasn’t drafted to be the starter. A hard worker. Blue collar guy. But Purdy is a better representative of Philly. A potential God. Why? https://t.co/X0AnoZPKQl
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) December 3, 2023
“What does this even mean?” tweeted ESPN’s Stan Verrett.
What does this even mean? https://t.co/d4QET9YjO7
— stan verrett (@stanverrett) December 3, 2023
“This is a staggering column and not staggering in a good way,” tweeted Mike Freeman of USA Today Sports. “Honestly can’t believe this got into print.”
This is a staggering column and not staggering in a good way. Honestly can’t believe this got into print. https://t.co/Bs5ufnxchz
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) December 3, 2023
The perceived racial undertones of this quote from Sielski appear to be the point of contention for most, along with the fact that Hurts is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in football at the moment.
It seems like the point Sielski is trying to make is that Purdy’s underdog story fits in with the culture of Philadelphia that loves an underdog, which he alluded to in a follow-up tweet.
"Great quarterback? We’ll see. Great story? No doubt. The ultimate underdog goes against the town & team that live for that label. Doesn’t mean the #Eagles are going to lose to him Sunday. Just means it would be as thick as irony gets if they did."#49ershttps://t.co/3RHlZd7FkS
— Mike Sielski (@MikeSielski) December 3, 2023
What Sielski seems to have forgotten is that Hurts has a pretty great underdog story of his own. He was a backup for a large portion of his collegiate career and later had to fight to become a starting quarterback for the Eagles after being drafted to back up Carson Wentz.
Even famous actor and ex-husband of Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, criticized Sielski for this take, which Sielski largely laughed off with a reply on social media.
“When Reese Witherspoon’s ex-husband tweets at you, you know you’ve made the big time,” tweeted Sielski.
When Reese Witherspoon's ex-husband tweets at you, you know you've made the big time. https://t.co/YAUSLTU27c
— Mike Sielski (@MikeSielski) December 3, 2023
It’s safe to say Sielski didn’t gain too many more fans on Sunday…
