Jalen Hurts continues to deal with doubters, despite finding success at the highest level this year.
The Super Bowl MVP’s status as a Top 10 quarterback in the NFL has been debated plenty this offseason. What do the Madden 26 creators think? Hurts is Top 10, but well outside of the Top 5.
On Thursday, Madden announced the ten-best QBs in the game. Hurts ranks eighth with an 86 rating. Justin Herbet, who ranks seventh, carries the same overall.
Just behind Hurts is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran Baker Mayfield, who holds an 85 rank. The Eagles’ NFC East rival, Jayden Daniels, has the same overall as Mayfield, placing 10th on the list.
In front of Hurts and Herbert are Jared Goff (87), Matthew Stafford (88), Patrick Mahomes (95), Joe Burrow (97), and then Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, who are among the very few players to crack the game’s 99 club. The Eagles have two members in the mix with them in Saquon Barkley and Lane Johnson.
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This season, Hurts is heading into year six with the Eagles. Since his second season, he’s been the surefire starter for the Eagles. Although he went through some notable growing pains through his first 30 games, Hurts turned into an MVP candidate by year three.
Despite the MVP campaign in 2022, Hurts has struggled to earn respect as a top quarterback from the masses.
In 2024, Hurts played in 15 games. He posted his lowest yearly passing yardage with 2,903 yards off 248 completions. It was the first time he failed to exceed 3,000 yards in three seasons. He also tossed for just 18 touchdowns after throwing over 20 in his past two seasons.
The Eagles ran plenty in 2024, thanks to the presence of Saquon Barkley. The star running back helped the Eagles as a team, but issued Hurts’ critics plenty of ammo. Many believed that Hurts wouldn’t be as successful in 2024 without Barkley.
But Hurts’ playoff numbers were nothing to overlook. In four games, Hurts threw for 726 yards, along with five touchdowns. As the Kansas City Chiefs zeroed in on stopping Barkley, the Eagles’ offense had to rely on Hurts’ quarterbacking to help take them to the Super Bowl winner’s stage. An MVP-worthy performance came to life.
Hurts has the accolades to prove he’s one of the top QBs in the game. He might not start near the top of Madden 26, but a strong campaign throughout 2025 could help the Eagles quarterback improve his rating over time.
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