Jalen Hurts Was Too Scarred by Past Super Bowl Loss to Celebrate Eagles' LIX Lead

The quarterback was a changed man after Super Bowl LVII.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on Feb. 9, 2025.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on Feb. 9, 2025. / NFL / YouTube / Screenshot

To hear him tell it, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII changed Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Thanks to revelations regarding his iPhone wallpaper, the public was aware of how much the 2023 loss motivated him going into Super Bowl LIX last week. But on the sidelines during this season's big game, Hurts was much more blunt in his assessment of the toll that loss took on him.

With the Birds up 40–6 with eight minutes left in the fourth, it's likely many Eagles players were already celebrating their win or gearing up for it, despite the time remaining in the game. But Hurts, well aware he was facing Patrick Mahomes and well aware he lost his last Super Bowl due to a last-minute field goal, refused to give in too early, as evidenced by a sideline interaction with tight end Grant Calcaterra.

In a mic'd up compilation from the game, Calcaterra can be heard telling Hurts, "You can crack a smile, too," likely encouraging him to relax amid the team's 34-point lead. But the 26-year-old quarterback was too locked in.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, bro," Hurts responded, "that last one changed my soul, man," referring to Super Bowl LVII, when the Eagles lost 38–35. "That s--t ... that s--t did. S--t ain't ever over. 'Til the fat lady sang, you know."

Watch a clip of that below:

Exemplifying Hurts' point, Mahomes managed to notch two more touchdowns after this interaction with just three minutes left in the game. So while the Eagles were still far enough ahead that it didn't matter, that last-minute Mahomes magic perfectly encapsulated what Hurts was worried about. It's not over 'til it's over.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.