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How Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley reacted to the Eagles reaching the Super Bowl: ‘That’s why I came here’

Jeff McLane spoke with several Eagles players in the locker room during their postgame celebration.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley says a chance to play in the Super Bowl was the biggest reason he signed in Philadelphia.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley says a chance to play in the Super Bowl was the biggest reason he signed in Philadelphia.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

This time last year the Eagles were out of the playoffs after a 32-9 wild-card round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But thanks to some impact free-agent signings, a historic running game, and a resurgent defense, the Eagles are back and ready to compete for another Lombardi Trophy just two years removed from their last Super Bowl appearance.

Every NFL player’s goal is to reach the Super Bowl and the Birds have managed to do this for the second time in three years. Jeff McLane talked to a few of the players about this achievement on the latest episode of unCovering the Birds.

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Fifth-year quarterback Jalen Hurts had his best game of the season in the NFC championship game, throwing for 246 yards and one touchdown, and rushing for another three scores against Washington. Hurts puffed a victory cigar after the win and acknowledged the team’s success.

“I don’t play the game for stats, I don’t play the game for numbers, or any statistical approval from anyone else,” Hurts said. “I understand that everyone has a preconceived notion about how they want it to look or how they expect it to look and I told you guys that winning and success is defined by that particular individual and it’s all relative to the person. And what I define it as is winning. My goal is to always come out here and win.”

As the Eagles embark on their journey to New Orleans to play the Kansas City Chiefs, their goal remains the same. Although this is a rematch of the 2023 Super Bowl, this is a much different Eagles team. The most obvious difference: Saquon Barkley.

In the running back’s first season with the Eagles, he’s already competing for the NFL’s highest honor, the Lombardi trophy. The three-time Pro Bowler, who is also a finalist for MVP, knew this was a possibility when he decided to sign with Philadelphia.

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“Of course, that’s why I came here,” Barkley said. “It’s one of the first conversations I had with Howie [Roseman], that’s a conversation I had with my family. We came to Philly to be part of games like this. Nothing better than a game where you can advance to the Super Bowl. I’m super excited about that and it was a team effort, shout-out to all the guys.”

For more on the Eagles locker room celebration and their upcoming Super Bowl matchup with the Chiefs, listen to the full episode of unCovering the Birds.