After listening to discussions all week about how he’d be capable to compete within the playoffs regardless of a current shoulder harm, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was requested how he felt bodily following Saturday night time’s recreation.
“Ok” Hurts quipped.
Contemplating that he threw two touchdowns and rushed for one more within the Divisional Spherical win, his “ok” was greater than passable, as Philly rolled to a 38-7 victory over the New York Giants.
Hurts suffered a shoulder sprain throughout Week 15 which brought about him to overlook two video games late within the common season. He returned for Week 18 to assist his crew clinch the No. 1 general seed, however was clearly nonetheless not at 100% within the recreation, resulting in worries about Hurts’ readiness for the postseason. Fortunately for him, with the highest spot within the NFC got here the prospect to get some extra relaxation earlier than formally beginning the playoffs, with Hurts saying on the time, “It is a good factor there is a bye week.”
And that additional time to heal paid off, as Hurts dominated the division rivals beginning early in Saturday’s recreation. The star QB opened issues up by going 7-of-7 passing for 89 yards within the first quarter, together with two TD passes that gave Philadelphia the early lead. The Eagles offense by no means let up, ending with 416 complete yards and 38 factors, their most since Week 14 in opposition to the Giants. Hurts accounted for 3 scores, and was 16-of-24 passing for 154 yards and a 112.2 passer ranking, again to his earlier MVP-candidate kind.
“Appeared just like the previous Jalen to me,” working again Miles Sanders stated after the sport. “I am not going to lie. Simply pleased with him. He asks everyone for his or her greatest, and we’ll try this only for him as a result of he offers us our greatest.”
In his postgame press convention, head coach Nick Sirianni expressed that, along with Hurts’ impression by means of his bodily abilities, he additionally gives an emotional spark for the crew when taking part in. Sirianni used comparisons to basketball gamers to make his level, first likening his QB to basic 76ers Allen Iverson and Mo Cheeks, earlier than going even additional just a few questions later and equating Hurts’ impression to that of one of many greats of the game.
“To have him out there may be like — I do know that is excessive reward, however to have him out there may be like having, I should not even go there, it is like having Michael Jordan on the market,” Sirianni stated. “He is your chief. He is your man. Hopefully that is the largest respect I pays to him evaluating his skill to being on the sector to a Michael Jordan kind. This man leads. He brings this calmness to the whole crew. He performs nice soccer. He is as powerful as they arrive.
“Yeah, I imply, to me, no one has performed any higher soccer than him this yr. “
When wholesome, the 24-year-old has been one of the harmful quarterbacks within the league because of the mixture of his stellar arm and the fixed risk that he’ll simply run the ball himself. Together with rating within the prime 10 in most passing classes, Hurts ranked fourth amongst QBs in regular-season dashing yards with 760.
“Jalen is at all times going to assist the working recreation huge time due to what he can do and the risk he poses on the bottom. Even when he isn’t carrying it or even when he isn’t having runs to him, he’s nonetheless going to have an effect on the sport,” Sirianni stated. “That is what he did. He affected the sport as a result of he calls for consideration on the bottom.”
Sunday’s slate of video games will inform us who the Eagles will face subsequent week, however whether or not it is the Cowboys or the 49ers, they will come to Philadelphia figuring out they will be going through a once-again wholesome and harmful opponent in Hurts.
