There are always many lessons from big games, and this year’s Super Bowl, played Sunday, was no exception. Kansas City, down 10 points at the half, not giving up, even when their star quarterback, Patrick Mahommes, reinjured his ankle. Patrick’s perseverance.

I want to focus this blog on the losing quarterback, Jalen Hurts, who played like a winner, had way better stats than Mahommes, tied the game with five minutes left, and never got another chance. Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal captured the lesson with his fabulous article, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts: In Defeat, an Appreciation. The article opens this way:

I’ll admit this isn’t the ordinary move—an appreciation of the losing quarterback on the morning after the Super Bowl. The usual drill is to rudely step over the losing team, and wrap our love and superlatives around the champions. Within minutes of the confetti drop, the loser is relegated to history. By sunrise, it’s like they didn’t exist.

But I want to write a bit about Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, because he didn’t play like a loser at all Sunday in Arizona. He played like someone who very much deserved to win—until he and the Eagles didn’t. 

In the somber postgame, Hurts made a comment that signaled what this 24-year-old leader is all about. 

“You either win or you learn, that’s how I feel,” Hurts said. 

It’s a remix of a famous Nelson Mandela quote—I never lose, I win or learn—and I think every coach in America just took out a pen and copied that down. You either win or learn. In how many locker rooms will that bit of healthy wisdom be deployed in over the coming month? I’m going to drop it on my own children after youth soccer losses. – Jason Gay, February 13, 2023

Win or learn. That will preach.

Hurts could have been bitter. He played the better game. Mahommes himself said about Hurts’ performance:

The way he stepped up on this stage, ran and threw the ball and did whatever his team needed to win, that was a special performance. I don’t want it to get lost in the loss. – Patrick Mahommes, winning Super Bowl quarterback about Jalen Hurts, who lost.

Jalen Hurts expanded on his “win or learn” philosophy:

The beautiful part about it is everyone experiences different pains, everyone experiences different agonies of life. You decide if you want to learn from it. You decide if you want that to be a teachable moment. I know I do. – Jalen Hurts

Can we turn life’s disappointments into teachable moments? I hope so.

…After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26.74 – 75, ESV)

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21.15, ESV)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5.1 – 3, ESV)

Peter failed…but he learned…and taught.