For Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow In 2024 — the Best Football Is About to Be Played.
During the Covid-restricted 2020 NFL Draft — it was Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow who would become the first selection. As a sophomore at LSU — Burrow didn’t just break FBS records- he shattered them throwing sixty touchdowns in a season that captured not only the Heisman Trophy but also the National Championship.
In the opening week in 2020 — Burrow was the only one of the rookie quarterbacks to start before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Washington. Much like Jalen Hurts — Burrow’s second season was magical. The Bengals roared into the AFC Playoffs and defeated the Raiders 26–19, the Titans 19–16, and the Chiefs in Overtime stunning Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship Game by a score 23–20 before falling to the Rams in Super Bowl LVI 23–20 — Cincinnati’s first appearance since 1988.
And like the Eagles- the Bengals have been trying to get back to the Super ever since. In 2022, they would lose a rematch in the AFC Championship Game to those Chiefs. In 2023 — Cincinnati wouldn’t even qualify for the playoffs with a 10–8 record. So far in 2024 — the Bengals are 3–4 and clutching to the hope of a narrowing window that they can still make the AFC Playoffs with some Burrow and Ja’marr Chase late-season magic.
In perhaps one of the most quarterback-rich NFL Drafts since 1983 that included Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, and Tua Tagovailoa — Jalen Hurts was selected by the Eagles in the second round with the 53rd pick. Jalen’s path to become the franchise quarterback was quite different from Burrow’s. He had to supplant Carson Wentz — who had just signed a four-year $128 million extension a year earlier. But on a cold 2020 evening in Green Bay — when Wentz headed to the bench and Hurts headed to be the future of the Eagles — the era of Jalen began.
Two years later — the high powered Eagles offense was also in the Super Bowl. Even now in 2024 — the Eagles are striving to overcome that loss to the Kansas City Chiefs 38–35. The team that Kansas City beat to earn a trip to Super Bowl LVI and a matchup against the Eagles was Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals.
What is at stake this Sunday in Cincinnati isn’t just a week eight NFL matchup. For Burrow and the Chiefs — it’s a must-win home matchup. Five losses this early in the NFL season doesn’t bode well for a crowded AFC Playoff field. For Hurts, Barkley — it’s another matchup to prove that the Eagles offense is once again prolific with the return of Devonta Smith and Brown coupled with an Eagles defense that once again matches rookie talent against one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and a young secondary featuring Quinyon Mitchell desperately waiting for that first professional pick.
For the question about whether Hurts or Burrow were the better pick themselves— the answer is not yet clear.
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