Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has compared quarterback Jalen Hurts to Michael Jordan after his stirring performance in their 38-7 romp of the New York Giants on Saturday.
The Eagles crushed the Giants to qualify for their seventh NFC Championship Game since 2000, which is the most in the NFC during that period.
Hurts threw two first-quarter touchdowns before a second-quarter rushing TD, with the contest all but settled 28-0 at half-time.
That came in the Eagles' QB's second game back since missing two with a shoulder injury on his throwing arm sustained on December 18, which Sirianni said gave the team an emotional lift similar to Chicago Bulls great Jordan.
"I know this is high praise, but to have him out there is like having – I shouldn't even go there – it's like having Michael Jordan out there," Sirianni told reporters.
"He's your leader. He's your guy. Hopefully, that's the biggest respect I can pay to him, comparing his ability to being on the field to a Michael Jordan-type. This guy leads.
"He brings this calmness to the entire team. He plays great football. He's as tough as they come. To me, nobody has played any better football than him this year."
Hurts completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards and two passing touchdowns, along with rushing nine times for 34 yards with one TD.
When asked how the shoulder felt after the game, Hurts told ESPN: "I never really was in a situation to test it. Fortunate to come out clean. I'm in a good place."
The Eagles progressed to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2017. That comes after an outstanding regular season for the top seed, who finished 14-3.
"We had a lot of hunger built up in us," Hurts said. "I think we were just starving and eager for our opportunity to come out here and play.
"This is a division opponent, they're a really good team. They had a lot of momentum going. We just wanted to come out and play our best ball.
"I think we chose the right time to do that. We were very efficient on both sides of the ball. We scored early and often. We just want to keep it going. We want to be consistent."
The Eagles will take on the winner of Sunday's Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers Divisional Round clash in the NFC Championship Game.