Getty Image
Jalen Hurts is not the NFL MVP, at least according to rival Cowboys defender Micah Parsons. The linebacker doesn’t believe he’s shown the individual effort to earn the award come season’s end.
Now, the sportsbook would disagree with Parsons, seeing as the Eagles’ passer is currently the betting favorite to land the honor. At last look, Hurts held -165 odds to bring home the hardware.
The next closest player in the race is Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes at +200.
The case for Hurts is a strong one. He’s led Philadelphia to an NFL-best 12-1 overall record, all but securing a No. 1 seed come playoff time. The Eagles sit two games up on second-place Minnesota while also owning a head-to-head win over the Vikings. In doing so, they’ve become the first NFL team to lock in a spot in the postseason field.
Jalen Hurts is at the root of much of that success. The QB has already eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark through the air while throwing an NFL-low three interceptions. He’s also added 686 yards on the ground, finding the endzone 10 times with his feet to lead all quarterbacks.
But according to his Dallas counterpart, Hurts has only been the beneficiary of captaining a great team. Micah Parsons believes that the players around him are the reason for Philly’s success, and the man under center is just coasting off of that talent.
Here’s what Parsons had to say in a recent appearance on Von Miller’s Voncast pod.
“When you look at the Eagles, is it Hurts or is it the team? It’s system and team… I’m not trying to make no enemies. I just love the game so much, and I understand it so much, that when things are off, I just can’t hold it in. I just gotta say something.
In Parsons’ eyes, Patrick Mahomes is the MVP.
His shots against Hurts come down to the scheme and talent around him. Parsons says that Hurts benefits from the offense he’s in, but one could say the same about Mahomes, who’s played in an Andy Reid system that’s been successful at nearly every stop.
Micah does make the point that it took AJ Brown getting to Philly to make the offense really take off, while Mahomes is putting up similar numbers despite losing Tyreek Hill. Still, it seems a little foolish to take away Hurts’ accomplishments for that fact.
I mean, what MVP hasn’t had a great team around him?
The debate will continue through the end of the year. This should make an upcoming Eagles-Cowboys matchup all the more interesting.