Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts share long hug after Eagles beat Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts squared off for the first time in the NFL on Sunday after being college teammates at Alabama.

Hurts’ Philadelphia Eagles defeated Tagovailoa’s Miami Dolphins 31-17 on Sunday Night Football in a battle of teams that entered 5-1.

Hurts passed for 279 yards 2 touchdowns and an interception, while rushing for another score. Tagovailoa went 23-for-32 with 216 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Afterwards, the quarterbacks who have plenty of admiration for each other shared a long hug.

Jalen Hurts ? Tua Tagovailoa pic.twitter.com/hSC0TAkgzm

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 23, 2023

The pair of 25-year-old QBs are forever bonded by their time under coach Nick Saban. Tagovailoa supplanted Hurts at halftime of the 2017 national title game and tossed 3 touchdowns to guide Alabama to the championship.

While at Alabama, Tagovailoa was a consensus All-American while also winning the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award. In total, Tagovailoa passed for 7,442 yards and 87 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, along with 9 rushing scores as a member of the Crimson Tide.

The Dolphins selected Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Since then, he’s battled a myriad of injuries, including concussions, but has the Dolphins in contention for a second consecutive trip to the playoffs.

Hurts played 3 seasons at Alabama before transferring to Oklahoma for his final college season. During his time with the Crimson Tide, Hurts was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and the MVP of the Sugar Bowl.

The Eagles tabbed Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Hurts is hoping to guide the Eagles back to the Super Bowl after last season’s defeat vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

Rolando Rosa