The Philadelphia Eagles have cleared one more stage in the playoffs on Sunday. After the 2022 season, Philly for their first chance to reach the Super Bowl, as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 at Lincoln Financial Field. It’s definitely the news that every Eagles fan was waiting for. But, amidst this happiness, perhaps for Jalen Hurts’s teammate, potential trouble might be coming soon.

“I feel very comfortable doing that. Anytime we do something like that, it is from everything that I learned from Jason.” Jalen Hurts’s teammate, Jordan Mailata, admitted to taking up the leadership role of tackling, comfortably after learning from Jason Kelce. But besides this, in the off-the-field too, Mailata follows “Leadership.” And let us remind you we are not talking about leadership ability, but about the book.

According to Jori Epstein on X, “Eagles LT Jordan Mailata says A.J. Brown inspired him to bring a book to the game.” That book, which he showed to the reporter, was titled “Leadership” by author John C. Maxwell. Now, you must be thinking why reading this book would cause personal trouble for him. Well, it’s because, he also said his wife, who has been wanting him to read more for a while, will probably be disappointed he listened to A.J. rather than her. Hilarious!

We all know A.J. Brown is an avid reader who loves to read a book every game on the sidelines. He does so to keep his mind in control and poised. Hence, it seems he has been advising his teammates too to do so, and Mailata took the suggestion very well. However, the result could be problematic as Jordan Mailata is now worried that he ignored his wife, Niki Ikahihifo-bender, who has been forcing him to read earlier.

But now that he listened to Brown’s suggestion, Mrs. Mailata would be playfully angry at him. Eventually, she would be happy too to see Mailata is into reading now. Probably he is using the leadership quality at his games and practices too – such as last year in preseason, when the team made a couple of pre-snap mistakes in the camp, Jalen Hurts’s OT held the team, including himself accountable.

The result? One could see the result in the events preceding the 2024 season. Jordan Mailata became the captain of the offense for the first time in his career with the help of his team’s votes. This made him emotional, as he quipped, “I felt like crying. Because it really shocked me. Then after the first hour, I felt …That’s a huge deal. To me, it is. Just gotta go out and be me.” Now the Eagles are heading to the NFC’s Conference Championship under the leadership of Jordan Mailata and Jalen Hurts. But a major concern is still lingering in their locker room.

Jalen Hurts and the team in trouble?

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are marching toward the NFC Championship game after defeating the Rams in a close matchup. However, this victory didn’t come without any concern. And the biggest issue here is – Jalen Hurts’s injury.

In the second half of the game, Rams defenders Jaylen McCullough and Desjuan Johnson sacked Hurts. This resulted in him landing awkwardly on his left knee. Although he remained in the entire game, the viewers could easily see Hurts limping on the field. Hence, post-game NBC’s sideline reporter Melissa Stark asked him about his injury impact in the NFC’s upcoming big game on Sunday, February 26. To which, the quarterback gave a vague response: “I’m sure I’ll get asked about it later. I don’t know if I can answer right now. I’m going to go enjoy this win with my teammates.”

Well, obviously he was in the mood to celebrate, but when further asked about his health, Jalen Hurts tried to ignore it, by commenting, “I finished the game.” This response from the QB seems sound as he didn’t provide any details on his injury scare or pain. And until now, the team too hasn’t given any official update on Hurts’s condition. So, does that mean something is fishy in it? Nevertheless, the Eagles are going to face off against the Commanders, and Hurts needs to be at his best for it.