Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts have never faced off against one another in an NFL game. Well, until now.
On Sunday Night Football, Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles and Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins will square off.
When they were contending for Alabama’s starting quarterback position, the two quarterbacks faced off against one another. Despite facing hardships, the former college teammates grew close to one another while competing for the Crimson Tide. They will put their friendship on hold this Sunday night, but they are still friends.
“Ultimately, we’re both trying to help our teams win, so we’ll probably see each other before the game to wish each other luck,” Tagovailoa said to reporters on Wednesday.
After Hurts led the Crimson Tide to the national championship as a freshman in 2017, their careers began to collide at Alabama. Hurts struggled against Georgia the next year, and Alabama lost the 2018 national championship game 13-0. At halftime, Hurts was benched in favor of Tagovailoa, a freshman. In overtime, Tagovailoa led Alabama to a 26-23 victory.
The two were selected in the 2020 NFL draft. Tagavoila was the No. 5 pick in the first round. Hurts was selected in the second round (No. 53).
Hurts has been phenomenal with the Eagles. He has posted a 30-10 record as a starter in regular season games and he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl last season. Tagovailoa has been plagued with injuries during his career, missing 14 of 56 games. The quarterbacks have led their teams to 5-1 records, but there’s a very different vibe coming from each team.
Both of them were chosen in the NFL draft of 2020. The fifth overall choice in the first round was Tagavoila. Hurts (number 53) was chosen in the second round.
Hurts has performed admirably for the Eagles. In regular season games, he had a 30-10 record as a starter, and he guided the Eagles to the Super Bowl the previous year. Over his career, Tagovailoa has missed 14 out of 56 games due to injury. Although the quarterbacks have guided their clubs to 5-1 records, each squad exudes a completely distinct atmosphere.
Despite their stellar record, the Eagles don’t seem like the same squad who dominated the NFC the previous year. During the Eagles’ 20-14 defeat to the New York Jets in Week 6, Hurts threw three interceptions. Compared to six throughout the whole 2022 season, Hurts has thrown seven interceptions this year.
The offensive of the Dolphins is being compared to the “Greatest Show on Turf” of the St. Louis Rams. Leading a Miami offense that leads the conference in overall offense (498 yards per game) and scoring (37.2 points per game), Tagovailoa leads the league in passing yards (1,876) and is tied for the most touchdown passes (14) in the league.
