Jalen Hurts Puts Locker Room on Notice After Issuing Strong Statement on Eagles’ NFC East Title

On Saturday night at the Linc, the Eagles handled business and took down the Commanders 29-18. With that, Philadelphia locked up the NFC East again. And Jalen Hurts became the first quarterback to lead a team into consecutive postseasons as the NFC East champion since Donovan McNabb. Still, Love did not deliver a victory speech. Instead, the locker room got a reminder.

While addressing the media, the Eagles quarterback did not celebrate the banner. Instead, he pointed straight ahead. He talked about standards. He talked about hunger. Most importantly, he put everyone on alert while demanding more.

“This is the first step for us.”

That line landed heavy. Because in that moment, Hurts was not speaking to reporters. He was speaking to the locker room, and they heard it loud.

Meanwhile, the weight of history made the moment bigger. Long before Hurts, Donovan McNabb owned this division. From 2001 through 2004, Philly ran the NFC East every year. After that run ended, the crown kept changing hands. No team could hold it. Until now. This season, the Eagles broke that cycle two games early.

Finally, Hurts knows this road well. Since taking over as the starter, the Eagles have never missed January football. Five seasons, five playoff trips, with two Super Bowl appearances. One championship banner flying over Lincoln Financial Field. Because of that, his tone makes sense. He has been there, and now he wants the silver and midnight green to lock in again.