PHILADELPHIA — With the top-seeded Eagles hosting the sixth-seeded New York Giants on Saturday evening in the NFC divisional round, it was Jalen Hurts and Dallas Goedert who emphatically set the tone.
The tight end danced into the end zone, with his first-quarter score representing one of five Eagles touchdowns, as they eliminated their division rivals in a dominant 38-7 victory at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles advanced to the NFC championship game. They’ll host either the San Francisco 49ers or the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m.
Before kickoff, Hurts told Fox sideline reporter Pam Oliver from the home sideline that he was “nowhere near 100 percent.” The 24-year-old also hinted that he was dealing with some sort of bug.
Only Hurts knows the true pain that the second-team All-Pro quarterback is dealing with. He sustained an injury to his throwing shoulder a month ago and was sidelined for two games before Hurts returned in the regular-season finale against the Giants. Leading into Saturday’s game, Hurts was omitted from the injury report, an indication that he was nearing full health. Regardless, Hurts was a clear beneficiary from the bye week, and he answered a lot of lingering questions with his performance in his second career playoff game.
Sirianni and offensive play caller Shane Steichen reopened the playbook, and the coaching duo deployed Hurts in his typical form. Between a mix of run-pass-options and designed quarterback runs, Hurts proved he was ready for the task. Hurts completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also embraced contact as a dual threat; Hurts rushed nine times for 34 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith (six catches, 61 yards, touchdown) and Goedert (five catches, 58 yards, touchdown) paced the offense with a combined 11 catches, 119 receiving yards, and two touchdowns.
