Jalen Hurts couldn’t untie a double knot, rocked mismatched cleats in dominant performance against the Bengals

Drew Smith
October 28, 2024
Eagles
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Jalen Hurts found himself in a bit of a footwear fiasco during Sunday’s win over the Bengals, but it didn’t slow him—or the Eagles—down one bit. In a moment as unexpected as it was bizarre, Hurts was forced to finish part of the fourth quarter rocking mismatched cleats.

Hurts’ green Jordan 4 PEs came off during a scramble along the left sideline. He tried to quickly re-lace the shoe, but ran into a major problem: a double knot tied so tight that he couldn’t undo it. As Hurts and the Eagles scrambled to fix the issue, they had to burn a timeout just to get him back on the field.

Couldn't get the knot untied 😅@JalenHurts @Eagles pic.twitter.com/pmn2zpBXGr
— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024

“I had a double knot,” Hurts explained postgame with a smile. “Usually with low-top Air Jordans, I tie them up real tight for better ankle support. This time, I tied it so tight that I couldn’t get the knot undone, so I had to go ‘Jalen two-shoes’ for a bit.” [ESPN]

With no time to spare, Hurts had to roll with a mismatched look—a white-and-black Concord Jordan on one foot and his Kelly Green Jordan 4 on the other.

Thanks to his deal with Jordan Brand, Hurts has access to plenty of high-quality cleats, but this was definitely an unintended mix-and-match moment.

Jalen Hurts returned to the field with mismatched cleats

Jalen Hurts out there with mismatched cleats 😅 pic.twitter.com/2316PPjaEq
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024

Social media couldn’t get enough of Hurts’ two-shoe look, but it was business as usual for Philly’s QB1. After a few plays, Hurts managed to get back into his original Kelly Green kicks and led the Eagles on a field goal drive. The rest of the game was smooth sailing, with Hurts finishing 16-for-20 for 236 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and three rushing scores.

Stat Check: All the numbers behind Jalen Hurts’ electric performance in the Eagles’ 37-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday >>

As the Eagles cruised to a 37-17 victory, Hurts even found time to give a pep talk to the equipment staffer responsible for the cleat debacle.

“I told him, ‘Hey man, next play,’” Hurts said, echoing the mindset he applies on the field. “It’s all good. Let it go.” [ESPN]

It’s not often that a QB has to go mismatched mid-game, but Hurts handled it with his trademark calm. And while his cleats became a social media sensation, the real story was another dominant win for a surging Eagles team that’s now 5-2.

Jalen Hurts on X (Formally Twitter):

pic.twitter.com/dKG0iwgEx9
— Jalen Hurts (@JalenHurts) October 28, 2024

For Jalen Hurts, the incident was just a bump in the road. For everyone watching, it was just another chapter in his increasingly unpredictable—and successful—season. Next up? The Jaguars, as Hurts looks to keep the good times (and matching cleats) rolling in Philly.