Jalen Hurts admits he has “felt better”

The Eagles’ QB said how he’s feeling physically doesn’t really matter, they still have to go out there on Sunday and get it done.

Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts spoke to reporters on Wednesday ahead of practice, and learned on stage that he was an MVP finalist — although he didn’t have much to say about it. The QB did, however, talk about his competitive drive, how the relationships among the offense have developed, and a bit about the 49ers defense.

He was asked about how he’s feeling physically, and Hurts was honest:

“I’ve felt better. But, it doesn’t really matter. Gotta get it done.”

Here’s what else the QB had to say:

On being an MVP finalist

“I didn’t know.

Put the work in, I think it’s a cool honor. Don’t really have much to say about it.

I don’t know, I’m at a loss for words, to be honest.”

Hurts later said it wasn’t really in his nature to look back to see how far he’s come, noting that it’s not the time for him to reflect on that yet because he’s not done.

On his competitive drive

Hurts was asked about his competitive drive, and the QB said that he just has a drive to win and he puts in the work to win. He tries to be diligent in everything he does, in addition to being the best teammate and leader that he can be, and try ot set the pace and temperature of the room.

“People lead because their peers let them lead.”

The QB said that it takes a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and trust, and ultimately all those things will bring respect.

“I think as a team, we’ve just come a very long way, and the beautiful thing about everything is that we’ve continued to just try and climb.”

On the 49ers defense

“They’re really good all across the board. Starts off with the front seven, and then having a really good defensive back group. They fly to the ball. They’re disruptive at every position, as well. They’re well-coached. So, we have a task in front of us. We have a really good challenge, a really big challenge, in front of us, and as always, we just want to go out there and execute.”

On the relationships among the offense

Hurts was asked about how much it’s helped having the offensive staff tailor the scheme to what he does and what he likes, but the QB said that’s kind of how it’s always been for him, noting that how he plays the position overtakes what the coach is calling. He did, however, say that the time they’ve had to grow together has allowed them to develop a relationship and be on the same page, so at this point, they’re clicking on all cylinders.

“Being able to play with friends. I’m playing with a lot of my friends that I’ve known for awhile now, and we all have the same ambitions, we all have the same goals.”

Hurts went on to say that he’s seen those relationships benefit the moment during some of the adversity they’ve faced. In those moments, he said, is when they test the foundation that they’ve been building, and they’ve persevered through certain situations this season and come out stronger together.

Other notables

• Hurts was asked about 49ers QB Brock Purdy and he recalled playing against him when Oklahoma faced Iowa State. He said that he’s always had a lot of respect for Purdy, who has always been a really good player and has a lot of moxie.
• As for staying focused on the NFC Championship game and not looking toward the Super Bowl, Hurts said that it’s about staying in the moment and enjoying the process in front of them.
• Hurts mentioned that he’s leaning on the things they’ve done this year, the team that they’ve shown themselves to be, as they get one step closer to the Super Bowl. He’s leaning on the process they’ve established for themselves and the standard that they set.
• Growing up, Hurts used to watch 49ers’ DC DeMeco Ryans when he was with the Texans, but other than maybe having a signed ball or something, he doesn’t recall much about those encounters. The QB did talk about how going back and playing in Houston, and in the stadium he spent so much time in as a kid, was a bigger moment than he realized heading into that game. But, it is a cool moment for Hurts to be playing against a team coached by Ryans, someone he grew up watching.