“Ain't proved nobody wrong”: Eagles cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson refuted criticism of Jalen Hurts and the offense ahead of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl 59 promises to be a close contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, with the Chiefs being on top of the MVP odds list so far. However, there is always the dark horse who could throw a wrench into things: Jalen Hurts. The Philadelphia Eagles' offense has been somewhat maligned at times during the 2024 season. Eagles cornerback C.J. Second year with the team, Gardner-Johnson did his part in shutting down all the criticism of Hurts and the offense leading up to this Super Bowl match.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson on criticism towards Jalen Hurts and Eagles’ offense

The Philadelphia Eagles' 2024 season has seen criticism, including self-inflicted criticism of their offense by wide receiver A.J. Brown for "passing," but also a significant amount of scrutiny on their overall performance. The Eagles' exceptional offense and quarterback Jalen Hurts' performance have been scrutinized for their ability to consistently match their talent.


Philadelphia's offensive performance in the first two games of the postseason was poor. Saquon Barkley and the running game played well. Quarterback Ryan Hurts did not throw for more than 260 yards in either the wild-card or the divisional rounds, despite having been concussed and playing through snow in the divisional round. This makes people question how the team would have performed had it not faced those challenges.

Eagles cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson, in his second season with the team, refuted criticism of Hurts and the offense ahead of their upcoming Super Bowl matchup. “To be honest, if last weekend ain't proved nobody wrong, I can't speak for their play. They're going to just keep going out there and balling," Gardner-Johnson told the media on Friday.

He added, "The more criticism they have, I'm just one of their biggest fans, I'm their teammate. I can’t criticize somebody who goes out there and overcomes everything every week. One week he’s a running quarterback, next week he’s complaining, next week oh they won another game. ... I'm just glad they're rolling. I'm happy to see them get back to the championship and do what they do.”

Selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Eagles, Jalen Hurts became a starter for the team late in his rookie season. Hurts had a breakout season in 2022, leading the Eagles to the conference's top seed and into Super Bowl LVII, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.


In 2024, Hurts led the Eagles to Super Bowl LIX, making him the first Eagles quarterback to appear in multiple Super Bowls. He has taken Philadelphia to the playoffs in all four of his seasons as the primary starter and has received two Pro Bowl selections.

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The Eagles' NFC championship game win over the Washington Commanders saw them score 55 points with six rushing touchdowns by Hurts and Barkley. The Eagles face a tough test next week against the Kansas City Chiefs' defense under Steve Spagnuolo in the Super Bowl.
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