Eagles, Hurts get week of much-needed rest as NFC’s top team
Jalen Hurts couldn’t wait to get back to work so he could get some more time off.
Hurts returned to Philadelphia’s lineup last weekend after missing two weeks with a sprained right shoulder and helped the Eagles secure the top seed and lone bye in the NFC playoffs.
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“We’re the No. 1 seed and we are the NFC (East) champs and that’s the goal we set out to do. Now I can continue to recover and be ready for the playoffs,” Hurts said after operating a conservative offense designed to keep him safe and leading the Eagles to a 22-16 win over the Giants’ backups in Week 18.
“Winning pretty is not a priority,” second-year coach Nick Sirianni said.
The Eagles, who are 14-1 with Hurts in the lineup and 0-2 without him, didn’t need their second-year starter to be at his best in the regular-season finale, but they will the rest of the way.
Hurts and the Eagles will sit back and watch wild-card weekend which starts Saturday when the Seahawks (9-8) visit the 49ers (13-4).
On Sunday, the Vikings (13-4) host the Giants (9-7-1) and on Monday night, the Cowboys (12-5) visit the Buccaneers (8-9), who have a losing record but the biggest winner in playoff history with Tom Brady under center.
1. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (14-3). One Lombardi in three Super Bowl appearances: lost to Raiders 27-10 in Super Bowl 15, lost to Patriots 24-21 in Super Bowl 39, beat Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl 52. Last year: 9-8, lost to Buccaneers 31-15 in wild-card round.
Plan the parade: Jalen Hurts. The third-year QB earned his first Pro Bowl selection and surged into MVP contention with one of the greatest seasons in team history. His 35 total touchdowns tied a franchise record and his bid to set several more marks was only slowed by a sprained right shoulder late in the season. Hurts missed two games and the Eagles lost both of them. With Hurts back in the fold for the regular-season finale, he led the Eagles to a victory and the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The previous No. 1 seed to win the Super Bowl? The Eagles in the 2017 season.
Cancel the confetti: The Eagles have been bit late in the season by injuries. They need Hurts to be fully recovered and they hope the bye week can only help his progress. All-Pro offensive tackle Lane Johnson has been out with a groin injury and several other Eagles are easing back into the lineup. The Eagles were almost unbeatable while at full strength this season, but without Hurts they’ll be hard-pressed to make any noise in the playoffs.
“I just know that we have so much more out there for us, so I’m eager to get back to work and continue to grow with these guys. I challenge everybody in that locker room to not only hold themselves accountable, but also hold the men next to them accountable. Coaches, trainers, janitors, everybody, it takes everybody. It takes a village, truly. That’s where my focus is.” — Hurts.
2. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (13-4). Five Lombardi trophies in seven Super Bowl appearances: beat Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl 16, beat Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl 19, beat Bengals 20-16 in Super Bowl 23, beat Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl 24, beat Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl 29, lost to Ravens 34-31 in Super Bowl 47, lost to Chiefs 31-20 in Super Bowl 54. Last year: 10-7, No. 6 seed, beat Cowboys 23-17 in wild-card round, beat Packers 13-10 in divisional round, lost to Rams 20-17 in NFC championship game. Third playoff appearance in four years.
Plan the parade: San Francisco might have the NFL’s most complete roster that fueled a 10-game winning streak to end the regular season. The defense was the stingiest in the NFL led by the league’s leading sacker in Nick Bosa and versatile LB Fred Warner. The offense hit a new level after the midseason addition of Christian McCaffrey to a group of playmakers that already featured stars George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Then instead of taking a step back when QB Jimmy Garoppolo went down, rookie Brock Purdy has led the Niners to more than 33 points per game.
Hold the confetti: As good as Purdy has been the past six weeks, he still is a rookie who was chosen last in the draft back in April. If he takes a step back under the bright lights of the postseason that could doom the hopes for the Niners. The dominant defense also has one glaring weakness as San Francisco has been beaten too often by big plays over the top. If any offense is able to take advantage of that the way Kansas City did in Week 7, a 44-23 defeat at home, the Niners could be in trouble.
“We have everything that we need on this team to do what we want to do this postseason.” — Warner.
