Hurts vs. Jackson Isn’t the Best of Sunday Night.
It’s the Best of the NFL.
For Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson, the time isn’t Sunday night. The time is this season.
When the Baltimore Ravens drafted rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson in 2018, with the 32nd pick overall — they took a game-changer.
Like Jalen Hurts, Jackson isn’t only one of the most talented athletes in the NFL.
He’s a game-changer.
His Head Coach, John Harbaugh, knows the value of a franchise quarterback. As Special Teams coach under Andy Reid’s Eagles, Harbaugh saw first-hand the value of a franchise quarterback when the Eagles had their own first-round draft pick in Donovan McNabb.
Like the Eagles, the Ravens’ high-flying offense has dazzled but hasn’t delivered. The Ravens have made the playoffs since 2018 but have not been back to the Super Bowl since 2012. 2019 the Ravens lost to the Chargers in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs. In 2020, they were back—but faltered again 28–12 in the AFC Divisional Playoffs to the Titans, 2021 to the Bills, 2022 to the Bengals, and last year to Andy Reid and the Chiefs.
Both Hurts and Jackson were among the best in college football at Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisville. They both replaced franchise quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Joe Flacco for the Eagles and the Ravens. And they both shoulder the peak of athletic ability combined with expectations that could not be higher.
This year, the Ravens are 8–4 through twelve games. If Sunday night isn’t a must-win, it’s as close as you can come. By contrast, for the Eagles across the sideline — 2024–2025 means just as much. The Eagles have added one of the most devastating weapons in their history to their top-tier offense in Saquon Barkley — and opportunities to win with a roster like this are few and far between, especially for the NFL.
The Eagles offense has matched opponents blow-by-blow this season, with rare exceptions, before pulling away in the second half.
They have weapons at every position and are poised to finish what they started in 2022–2023 and march down Broad Street this year.
But Sunday isn’t just about teams who are running out of time. It’s about two of the most elite quarterbacks in the NFL who have the opportunity to lead their teams to a Super Bowl. Perhaps the two quarterbacks are best positioned to lead their teams to a Super Bowl Championship.
Outside of a Josh Allen Buffalo Bills with depleted weapons, an injury-riddled season for the 49ers, a once-again hapless Cowboys team that is playing for next season, and a Chiefs team who has not in 2024 — been, well — Mahomes-like, chances are that Baltimore and Philadelphia may be playing for a Lombardi Trophy.
It’s about arguably one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the NFL in Jackson and the strength, vision, and ability of Jalen Hurts’ who can run up 40 points on your defense and then power-lift your house.
It’s what an NFL showdown in Baltimore is all about — a duel in the darkness of a December nightfall.
PHOTO: NFL/YouTube
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