This Sunday, the New England Patriots will be facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles. After going 8-9 last season, the Patriots would love to have a winning record this season and make the playoffs. Starting off their season vs. the Eagles won’t make that any easier.

Head coach Bill Belichick has been known to be polite and says all the opposing QBs the Patriots face have their skill sets. When he was speaking about Jalen Hurts, Belichick had high praise for the Eagles’ signal-caller. Belichick said that no player in the league compares to what Hurts can do on the field.

Bill Belichick has had months to plan for the Patriots’ Week 1 matchup vs. the Eagles

The #Eagles and #Patriots are playing this Sunday and coach Bill Belichick had high praise for QB Jalen Hurts, saying he’s ‘arguably the Best player in the league’

“We’re talking about a guy who was second in MVP voting last year, or whatever he was.”, adding, “You’re talking… pic.twitter.com/Mohbs3RKBk

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 7, 2023

Last season, the Eagles went 14-3 in the regular season, the NFC’s best record. That got Philadelphia the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a bye in the first round. After beating the Giants in the Divisional and the 49ers in the Conference championship. The Eagles made it to Super Bowl 57 where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Coming off that tough loss in the final game of the season, the Eagles have another strong roster in 2023. They’ve retained almost all of their top talent and have drafted well to build their roster as well. New England’s Bill Belichick knows that game-planning for Hurts and the Eagles will not be easy at all.

“You’re talking about arguably the best player in the league or one of the top two or three best players in the league.”

-Bill Belichick on Jalen Hurts

“I think he’s one of the best coaches to ever coach the game. Those are nice words from him.”

-Jalen Hurts pic.twitter.com/wX11pr5Pnv

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 6, 2023

The Patriots have been using practice squad QB Malik Cunningham to simulate Jalen Hurts in practice this week. Belichick said Cunningham is talented, but he’s nowhere close to the player that Hurts is. He called Hurts a top player in the NFL who received MVP votes last season. The legendary head coach knows that no practice squad player can compare to the real test his defense will face on Sunday vs. the Eagles.