Jalen Hurts' Postgame Comments Sound Even Worse After His 'Flu Game'

Michael Jordan's Flu Game is part of U.S. sports lore for good reason. It's tough to match that legendary performance, during which MJ overcame illness to drop 38 points and will the Chicago Bulls to victory in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tried earlier this year and turned in one of his worst outings in recent memory. And while reports have suggested that Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts didn't officially have the flu, he still tried to play through some sickness on Monday night. His stat line proved to be a mixed bag with 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns, juxtaposed against 143 passing yards and two interceptions.

But Hurts' postgame comments were perhaps even more notable than an iffy performance. You can excuse a bad night, especially in the context of illness; concerns about team commitment, however, loom larger.

Hurts Spoke About Commitment After Tough Loss

Without being inside of the Eagles organization, it's impossible to know exactly what Hurts went through ahead of the club's Monday Night Football game. It's safe to say, however, that the quarterback showed plenty of commitment to the cause.

He was sick and, over the weekend, things degraded to the point that he was listed as "questionable" for the game. The signal-caller eventually flew to Seattle by himself and, despite being under the weather, took the field.

As mentioned above, Hurts' performance was something of a mixed bag. For most of the game, it looked like he had done enough to earn the W, but two interceptions cost Philly the game—and while there's room to point at the play-calling in addition to the execution, No. 1 was ready to shoulder the blame.

"I liked the opportunity to go out there and execute regardless what the circumstances is and I didn't do a good job with that," Hurts said. "I didn't lead good enough. I didn't do a good enough job in any circumstance."

But that wasn't his only post-game quote. The QB also touched on the Eagles' collective execution and commitment.

"Been talking about execution all year," Hurts said, when asked about the 2-minute drill. "Been on the same page, everyone been on the same page. We didn't execute. I don't think we were committed enough. Just got to turn it around. You know, it's a challenge that we have to embrace. Just continue to see it through."

Then, a follow-up asked what he meant by being committed enough.

"Commitment," the QB replied. "I don't know—I don't have a dictionary on me now. Excuse me. I don't know how else to say that."

And when asked how that was presenting itself, there was a bit more clarification.

"It's a matter of being on the same page. It takes everyone being all-in in all aspects. It starts with me. We had multiple opportunities out there in the end. There was just not another way you would rather have it," Hurts said.

"The trust that we have in one another, how much we communicate as players, you know, taking advantage of those moments when you have them to open the game, whether it's in the final minutes or, you know, early on, whatever.

"With the false start in the short yardage situation. Just have to be better. I have to be better minimizing the mistakes, penalties, mental errors. Just playing team football and it starts with me leading it. We've lost games because I could be better. That will change everything. I accept that."

Comments Seem Pointed After Illness

In the world of sports, intangibles can be used as a crutch. Rather than looking at the hard truths, it's easier to say that the other team simply wanted it more or trot out a comparable cliche.

Hurts' comments, however, don't happen in isolation.

After cruising through the opening stretch of the schedule and looking like world-beaters, the Eagles have hit something of a wall with three consecutive losses. And while you could point to mitigating factors for each defeat, things just don't seem right.

Could anyone be blown out by the 49ers? Sure, San Francisco looks like one of the elite teams in the league. The same could be said for a defeat in Dallas (the Cowboys are a different team at home), but the lack of response both in a rivalry game and after a big defeat raised some eyebrows.

And when an on-field leader like Jason Kelce is essentially saying the same thing about simply not performing in back-to-back weeks, that's not encouraging.

Then there were reports of finger-pointing within the organization, and the decision to change defensive play-caller.

In an ESPN post about that shift, veteran Fletcher Cox also made some interesting comments.

"I think the biggest thing for this team now is really find out who the dudes are," he explained. "I've been a part of teams where the dudes in the locker room do something about it, and I've been part of teams where it kind of crumbles. And now it's time to see the real leadership, the real players, the guys that's elite on this team, myself included, step up and do something about it."

But the club didn't deliver against the Seahawks. Again, there were mitigating factors on Monday night, but the fact was that the Eagles lost. And after the final whistle, Hurts raised the specter of commitment.

He said that it started with him, but his choice of words was notable, given that he had just flown across the country on his own and played through what sounded like a not-insignificant illness. That, at least from an outside perspective, shows plenty of commitment. Someone else, however, apparently wasn't living up to the same standard. Calling it out, one would assume, doesn't come lightly.

And at the risk of stating the obvious, this isn't an ideal discussion to be having in December. The Eagles are a talented team, even if there are some obvious defensive flaws. They have already clinched a playoff berth; the club should be hitting its collective stride and securing the best seeding possible, not struggling to get on the same page.

Through that lens, Philly's remaining three regular-season games loom large. While they should dispatch the Giants (twice) and the Cardinals without too much trouble, there's more to those games than simply securing the results. Getting the W is obviously important, but victories have the tendency to paper over cracks. And if a Super Bowl title is the ultimate goal this season, then there can't be any issues lingering below the surface.

Who knows, maybe Hurts' comments will snap everyone in the locker room back to reality? Or maybe it's the biggest Hail Mary he's thrown this year.

We'll have to see how things play out.