He's the guy, has been the guy all season, and you see how naturally it fits for quarterback Jalen Hurts to lead this Eagles offense into Sunday's Super Wild Card Weekend playoff game at Tampa Bay. For a quarterback who has started huge games in his football career, Hurts understands the stakes in the NFL's postseason. At the same time, the unflappable Hurts is doing what he's done all season to reach this point – his preparation is on point and his focus is locked in.
Any questions?
"The importance of fundamentals throughout this week, the importance of detail, and simply doing the things that we've done all year," Hurts said on Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex. "I preach about the process, I preached about it when we were 2-5 and I preached about it when we've made the run we made to get to this point. Nothing changes as far as our preparation and our intent as a football team, so it's all about getting better every day and doing the things you need to do to get better every day. You either get better or you get worse. You don't stay the same. Having the right focus, the right attention to detail every day throughout this week."
Hurts is a remarkably consistent second-year quarterback who has the maturity of a long-time NFL veteran. He is always on his game, right? Throughout last season's tumult and the transition to a new coaching staff and a new offense and the slow start for this football team and the sizzle down the stretch, Hurts has been the same guy: Serious-minded, intentional, focused.
So that isn't about to change now. No way. No how.
"What I expect is that Jalen has played in a lot of big games," Head Coach Nick Sirianni told me in our weekly one-on-one interview on Tuesday, "and I kind of talked about that with our team (Monday). We know we're playing the defending Super Bowl Champs. But, we've got a lot of guys who have played in big games as well. We have a lot of guys, right? We have a lot of guys who were on the Super Bowl team of 2017, we have guys who have played in AFC Championship Games, NFC Championship Games ... we have guys who have played in the final four of the NCAA tournament and in the National Championship Game. We've got experience, too.
"Jalen is one of those guys. He's played in a National Championship Game and he's played in a final four game with Oklahoma and with Alabama. We've got winners on this football team. So much tribute to Howie (Roseman, Eagles general manager) and his staff for bringing in guys who have won football games. That's something we look at when you're evaluating a player. You want to know that they have the right formula and one of the formulas with the addition of being a talented player, being tough, being physical, being smart, having high character, did they win? And we have a lot of guys on this football team who have been through that."
Hurts, of course, has been through a ton in his football career. Ups and downs. Highs and lows. He has experienced just about everything a player in his second NFL season can experience. With that maturity and that experience, Hurts has advanced his game. Hurts has made steady progress in every facet of his game, something he acknowledges.
Now he takes the stage in the postseason, and Tampa Bay is well aware that this No. 1 isn't the same quarterback as the one the Bucs saw in Week 6.
"Dramatic improvement. Total control of that offense, really accurate down the field, really improved as a passer," Tampa Bay Head Coach Bruce Arians said on Wednesday in a conference call with Philadelphia reporters. "He knows when to pull it down and he knows when to throw it. I've seen great growth out of him."
Hurts and the Eagles aren't going to go off course as they prepare for Tampa Bay, nor will they try to reinvent themselves on Sunday. This is an offense that has an identity of being physical and nasty, leading with the offensive line. Hurts is a multidimensional weapon Tampa Bay focused on containing. He's a threat with his legs and his arm, and the advancements he's made from the pocket are probably the most significant this season. The moment won't be too big for Hurts.
Truthfully, he's excited to get after it against a Tampa Bay team that beat the Eagles 28-22, and the steps Hurts and the offense have made since then are worthwhile discussing.
"I think as an offense we've kind of revolutionized and evolved in terms of who we are and our identity," he said. "I've said it all year. I've said it's coming. I've said different things to kind of ignite the growth in where we are now. Early on, we were searching for who we were, how we wanted to do it, and now kind of fine-tune some things and now we've gotten good at a lot of different things.
"It comes down to us executing our job, us knowing our job and doing our job, and going out there and playing with the right fundamentals and playing the type of football we've been playing."
The Eagles prepare to face the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round this Sunday. As part of our preview, here's a look at the projected starters on offense for both teams.

Jalen Hurts threw for 3,144 yards, but also became one of just three QBs in NFL history to rush for 700+ yards and score 10 rushing TDs in the same season.

Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady is the postseason's all-time leader in games played (45), passing yards (12,449), and touchdown passes (83).

WR DeVonta Smith set a franchise rookie record with 916 receiving yards to lead the Eagles in 2021.

Eight NFL seasons, eight 1,000-yard campaigns for WR Mike Evans. (AP Photo/Alex Menendez)

In his first full season as a starter, Jordan Mailata was Pro Football Focus' No. 3 left tackle for the 2021 season.

A former second-round pick out of Penn State, Donovan Smith is Tom Brady's blindside protector. He was the No. 5 left tackle in the NFC, according to PFF's grades. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Landon Dickerson took over at left guard and has teamed up nicely with Jordan Mailata, earning high praise from his teammates and coaches.

Left guard Ali Marpet earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in 2021. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

PFF's No. 1 center in the NFC this season, Jason Kelce earned his fifth Pro Bowl selection in 2021. He is the Eagles' nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

Center Ryan Jensen earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his eighth NFL season in 2021. (AP Photo/Don Montague)

Nate Herbig didn't open the season as the starter at right guard, but settled in nicely during the team's four-game win streak late in the year.

Right guard Alex Cappa has improved his PFF grade in each of his four NFL seasons. (AP Photo/Don Montague)

A three-time Pro Bowl tackle, Lane Johnson was a dominant force in the second half of the season for the Eagles.

In his second season, Tristan Wirfs is already established as one of the league's best right tackles. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Menendez)

Head Coach Nick Sirianni said on Monday that he's "hopeful" Miles Sanders can return from his hand injury for the Wild Card matchup.

RB Leonard Fournette is expected to return from a hamstring injury for Sunday's game. He led the Bucs with 812 rushing yards and was third on the team with 69 receptions. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

With Leonard Fournette on Injured Reserve, Ronald Jones took over as the lead back. Fournette led the Bucs with 812 yards and eight touchdowns this season. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Dallas Goedert was the No. 2 TE in the NFC this season, according to PFF. He's flourished in the TE1 role after earning a contract extension.

A four-time Super Bowl Champion, TE Rob Gronkowski had the most receptions and receiving yards since the 2017 season. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

WR Jalen Reagor contributes as a receiver, rusher, and as a punt returner.

Breshad Perriman was limited to 18 targets in the regular season, but injuries may force him into a larger role in the playoffs. (AP Photo/Alex Menendez)

Quez Watkins scored his first TD of the season in the regular-season finale against the Cowboys. The big-play wideout had the team's longest play from scrimmage this season – a 91-yard catch.

A former first-round draft pick, TE O.J. Howard has the tools to be a threat in the receiving game. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)