5 thoughts on Jalen Hurts and the top-seeded Eagles after a weird win over the Giants

They say that anything can happen on any given Sunday ... except this Sunday. Turns out, there is a reason Davis Webb hadn’t attempted a pass in his five years in the NFL. It’s the same reason Rodarius Williams had appeared in exactly seven games in his first two seasons as a pro. Whenever the Eagles finally take the field as the No. 1 seed in this year’s NFC playoff field, they’ll have gone two full weeks without playing in an NFL game. Next week, at least, they won’t have to play dress-up and pretend.

A few thoughts and observations from one of the most meaningless games of consequence in Eagles history.

1) Jalen Hurts looked healthy. I’m not sure that you can say that he looked like his normal self, but that’s mostly because the Eagles did not need him to be. So let’s focus on that first observation. Hurts’ performance against the Giants should put to rest any concern that his shoulder will play a meaningful role in the Eagles’ postseason fate. He finished the first half with 140 yards on 12-of-18 passing. That included completions of 35 and 37 yards to A.J. Brown, who is still very good.

» READ MORE: The Eagles did what they had to do in beating the Giants. Don’t read anything else into it.

Hurts did not run with much success, but he ran. He looked most like his MVP-candidate self in the third quarter when he rolled right and found DeVonta Smith in the end zone. The play was called back due to penalty, but the process was what counted. With 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the Eagles up 19-9, he took a deep drop back and threw a deep ball to Brown that traveled 35 yards in the air. It was overthrown by a couple of steps. Again, though, it was a healthy throw.

2) The biggest question with Hurts heading into the postseason might be his rhythm. By the time he takes the field in the postseason, he’ll have gone more than a month without facing a first-string NFL defense. The interception that he threw in the second half was a bad one — in the end zone, into a crowd of Giants, the kind of throw he can’t afford to make in the playoffs. He was notably ineffective as a runner. Part of that had to do with the disconcerting amount of pressure that he faced. As for the other part, it’s really hard to tell.

You can certainly wonder if Hurts was protecting himself, whether consciously or subconsciously. He finished with just 13 yards on nine carries, giving himself up with a slide on three different occasions. Designed runs were nonexistent.

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts are inseparable as NFL coach of the year and MVP

At the same time, Hurts and the Eagles played exactly as the situation called for. This was a Giants team that had nothing to play for and wasn’t going to bother pretending. Their inactive list included defensive starters Julian Love (safety), Adoree’ Jackson (cornerback), and Azeez Ojulari (linebacker). None of the remaining eight first-teamers were on the field for the Eagles’ game-opening field goal drive. As long as Hurts executed his handoffs and stayed out of harm’s way, the Eagles were an overwhelming favorite to not only win but win easily.

That’s not to say there was any conscious effort on the part of Hurts or offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to play conservatively. The Eagles had a lot riding on this game. I’m sure the coaching staff went out of its way this week to guard against even the whiff of preordination. When you have a chance to make yourself the only NFC team that does not need to win three games to make the Super Bowl, your only focus is playing your best game. For all intents and purposes, beating the Giants was the same as winning a first-round playoff game. The simple fact is that they didn’t need to do much to beat the Giants.

3) Lane Johnson’s absence continues to be an issue. The Giants’ backups sacked Hurts three times and pressured him on numerous other plays. The run game was dominant. But the pass protection is a concern, as it always has been when the Eagles are playing without their All-Pro right tackle.

4) I’ve been critical of Howie Roseman in the past, but you can’t give him enough credit for recognizing the value the Eagles would reap from giving Hurts a wide receiver like Brown. Brown is an unfair matchup for most cornerbacks. Asking a third-stringer like Williams to cover him should warrant a hearing in front of the NFL’s competition committee. On the first play of the game, Brown ran a slant underneath soft coverage from Williams and took the ensuing completion 35 yards. On the Eagles’ second possession, the wide receiver easily outmaneuvered Williams with the ball in the air to catch a 37-yard vertical route from Hurts.

As for the Giants, Kenny Golladay was playing with the scrubs all game. Compare the Giants’ decision to sign him to that ridiculous contract with Roseman’s ability to land Brown. Those are the decisions that have put the Eagles in the position that they’re in.

5) These are going to be an interesting couple of weeks. The Eagles have two weeks to prepare for their playoff opener, but they have four teams they’ll need to prepare for until next weekend’s games. They have not played a game with their starting quarterback against a starting NFL defense since Dec. 18. They will not play their first playoff game until at least Jan. 21.