Jalen Hurts was feeling his power after another Philadelphia Eagles victory.
While Saquon Barkley ran all over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, Hurts threw for 221 yards, rushed for 39 more, and guided Philly to its sixth consecutive victory.
After the Eagles improved to 8-2 and took command of first place in the NFC East with the playoffs approaching, the soft-spoken quarterback cranked up the volume on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Hurts appeared on camera wearing sunglasses indoors.
Then he toyed with host Scott Van Pelt in front of a live national audience.
With a stat on the screen showing that Hurts was second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns to Baltimore running back Derrick Henry, the former Alabama and Oklahoma college star went deep in his bag to troll SVP.
“Hey, Scott,” a smiling Hurts said. “How are you feeling?”
It was an unexpected question from the Philly QB, who was supposed to be the one being interviewed.
Hurts received several hard hits in the Eagles’ 26-18 road win and was checked for a concussion before halftime.
Van Pelt broke the fourth wall and stared at a camera.
But Hurts was just getting started.
“How are you feeling?” Hurts asked the show’s host. “You’re a DMV guy?”
Scott Van Pelt wasn’t ready for Hurts’ knockout punch[/caption]
Hurts was feeling himself and knew how to get to SVP[/caption]
The show’s host didn’t have anything to say and knew that Hurts was right[/caption]
Van Pelt is from Maryland and regularly draws attention to being from the DMV, which is the Washington metro area and includes the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.
“I don’t know if it was just a DMV thing in the 80’s … ,” Van Pelt tweeted in March.
“Scott was shook,” one fan tweeted.
“SAVAGE,” a second fan posted.
“Had man in a blender,” a third fan wrote.
“Why did I think Scott was a Ravens guy, LOL,” a fourth fan said.
Hurts had done his homework, and knew where to punch SVP for maximum impact.
“I mean, is this what we’re going to do?” Van Pelt asked Hurts. “Is this really what we’re going to do?
“I’m OK. We’ll see you down here in a little bit. That’s OK.”
With one of ESPN’s biggest voices letting NFL fans across the globe know that he was rooting for the Commanders over the Eagles, Hurts kept his cool and didn’t let up.
The Philly QB laughed while keeping Van Pelt stuck on the ropes.
“I was just asking, man,” a smiling Hurts said. “I like D.C.”
The Commanders host the Eagles on Dec. 22 in Landover, Maryland.
Hurts will definitely be there.
So will Philly fans believing that their team is heading toward another Super Bowl with Hurts and Barkley leading the way.
The Eagles are becoming serious big game contenders.
Jayden Daniels is still the leading NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, but Washington has back-to-back losses for the first time this season and now must focus on making the playoffs.
They are back at home in Week 12 and 13 when they face two teams with losing records, the Dallas Cowboys (3-6) and Tennessee Titans (2-7).
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