BONDING KEEPS EAGLES FLYING, DECLARES HURTS
PHILADELPHIA quarterback Jalen Hurts believes the Eagles’ charge to Super Bowl LVII has been fuelled by their collective strength. Hurts has been one of the standout figures in the Eagles’ run to tomorrow’s NFL showpiece at the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium, where they will take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Receiver AJ Brown, running back Miles Sanders and linebacker Haason Reddick have also been among the key players but Hurts feels it has been a team effort. The 24-year-old said: ‘I think the No1 thing is to invest in your team-mates and coaches. It’s important to go out there and build relationships with the people around you, the people that you’re going to be playing with so everyone can play that much harder for one another. ‘I feel like if you have a relationship with someone, you know them on a personal level, they’re going to play harder for you on the field. ‘I think that’s why we’ve come so far, because we’ve been truly connected all year. We’ve been on the same page.’ Hurts has formed potent partnerships with Brown and fellow receiver DeVonta Smith, both of whom he has long-standing chemistry with. The Texan has been friends with Brown since they were in the same high school recruitment cycle, while Smith is a former team-mate from his college days at Alabama. Hurts said: ‘I always reflect on how cool it is to play with guys that I’ve known for a very long time. ‘I’ve got guys from Oklahoma in that locker room, some from Alabama in that locker room. ‘I think birds of a feather flock together. I think those guys are true friends, and not only because of the men they are, but the competitors they are, what drives them, what motivates them to be great. We come in every day eager to take another step. ‘No one is independent in this, we are all dependent on one another. We encourage each other.’ Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles, ITV1 from 10.45pm tomorrow.