The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-0 on Monday night, but one of the game’s major storylines had nothing to do with the action on the field.
There were reports during the game that Eagles quarterback Jalen suffered flu-like symptoms during the game, but last year’s MVP runner-up used a gritty performance to lead Philadelphia to a 25-11 victory. After the game, it was revealed that several other Eagles players were feeling unwell before kick-off.
Defensive end Brandon Graham joked that Hurts just wanted to be like Mike, who recently signed an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand. Michael Jordan famously suffered similar symptoms during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, scoring 37 points in the Chicago Bulls victory that became synonymous with his legend. .
Hurts wasn’t exactly the same as he was when Jordan was playing through the illness, but he did show signs of improvement in his passing game and flashed the star quality he had last season. Hurts completed 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown.
The Hawks star said Monday’s game wasn’t the first time he’s been sick during a game, saying it “always happens on Monday nights.”
Years later, Michael Jordan confirmed that he actually had food poisoning and not the flu. We may not get the same confession from Jalen Hurts, but the Eagles quarterback did his job and helped Philadelphia pull off a tough road win in less than ideal circumstances.