Ailing Jalen Hurts was ‘good enough’ in an Eagles win over the Giants. Can he be great enough in the playoffs?

Jalen Hurts was asked several times in various ways how he felt upon his expedited return from the right shoulder injury that sidelined him for the previous two games.

“Good enough” was often the quarterback’s reply, which could have also described his performance and that of the Eagles’ seemingly timid 22-16 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

They just needed one win to secure the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, and with the Giants locked into the sixth spot and resting most of their key starters, the season finale had a preseason vibe, even though the Eagles had so much at stake.

Hurts wasn’t close to 100%. The offensive game plan and his aggressiveness were curtailed. But the Eagles still had to walk the delicate line between putting their most important player in harm’s way with earning the ever-important first-round bye that would provide him additional rest.

“I’ve really been pushing myself beyond measures to try and be available,” said Hurts, who wore an “I’m Back” Michael Jordan coming-out-of-retirement shirt to the podium. “The risk-reward of playing today, whatever that was, we did what we had to do. We’re the No. 1 seed and we’re 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.”

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

The Eagles’ “good enough,” of course, won’t likely be good enough once the postseason begins. A lackluster final four games once they initially clinched a spot against the Giants a month ago might not suggest a squad with momentum, but Hurts was injured in the first, absent for the middle two, and limited in the finale.

The team that squeaked by the Bears, lost to the Cowboys and Saints with backup Gardner Minshew at quarterback, and went through the motions against the Giants clearly isn’t the one that opened the season 12-1. The middle two games only reinforced how valuable Hurts has been to the Eagles’ success.

But the Hurts on the field, who wasn’t a plus-one factor in the running game, also isn’t the Hurts of the first 13 games.

“It’s not like he was perfect out there as far as what he felt like,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We didn’t feel there was more risk, but I know he was hurting and he was hurting bad. That’s the kind of competitor he is.”

Sirianni added: “He’s still sore.”

A year ago, Hurts suffered a late-season ankle injury. He missed one game and, upon his return, helped rally a charge into the playoffs. But he wasn’t as much of a factor in the running game, and when the Eagles faced the Buccaneers in the wild-card round, he had arguably his worst game.

Hurts a year later is a different quarterback. He’s a better passer. He’s more comfortable in the scheme. And he has wide receiver A.J. Brown. But an Eagles offense with running restrictions on Hurts is like a Chiefs offense that doesn’t allow Patrick Mahomes to improvise.

The zone read was virtually absent from offensive coordinator Shane Steichen’s play calling. Hurts never pulled the ball, whether on designed runs or run-pass option plays, and the offense never got into a steady rhythm.

“He’s not just a zone-read quarterback,” Sirianni countered. “This guy’s up for MVP because he’s done everything.”

But the Eagles have built so much of what they do around the threat he poses on the ground. And it was never more evident that the offense lacked that component than in the red zone. They went 1 of 5 inside the 20 despite entering with an NFL-best conversion rate of 72.2%.

Hurts was obviously conscious of taking unnecessary hits. He slid or ran out of bounds whenever he scrambled. And he threw the ball away against a Giants blitz that often pressured the quarterback.

It was probably expected that he wouldn’t be as sharp with his arm and the time off. But the Eagles opened with nine straight pass plays. There were some RPOs in there, but it wasn’t until later that running backs Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Kenneth Gainwell really got involved.

Sirianni and Steichen likely expected that they could jump to a comfortable lead against a Giants defense that was without its best players: defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, and safety Julian Love.

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

The Eagles did take a 16-0 lead into the break. But Hurts tossed an ill-advised, across-his-body interception in the end zone to open the second half. And when the Eagles struggled to put away third-string quarterback Davis Webb and the Giants backups, Hurts’ limitations because of the shoulder sprain seemed more pronounced.

After completing 12 of his first 18 throws for 140 yards, Hurts went 7 of 18 for 89 yards, including the pick.

“I’m just playing the game — playing the game and protecting myself,” Hurt said when asked if altered his approach because of the injury. “I think that’s what you all [the media] want to hear. I’m protecting myself.”

There is always more going on behind the scenes with a quarterback, especially when he’s injured. The Eagles had to balance placating Hurts’ desire to tough it out and be there for his teammates with also protecting his future and their investment.

Hurts was a limited participant in practice last week, was listed questionable on Friday, and didn’t really know he would get the nod to return until Saturday.

“I don’t really want to get into it,” he said when asked about the decision-making dynamic. “I played.”

Quarterbacks have great sway and Hurts’ will only increase once the Eagles, as most expect, sign him to a contract extension this offseason that could be worth as much as $50 million a year. On Monday, they can officially begin those negotiations, although a deal can’t be signed until after the season.

Hurts has made himself a lot of money this season. He doesn’t seem to play for monetary reasons, though. At least they’re secondary. Hurts has an unrelenting drive to be great — and not just good enough — according to so many who have come into contact with him since he first started playing football.

» READ MORE: ‘It’ll still eat at him and you’ll never know’: The playoff struggles that led Jalen Hurts to his first NFL postseason

His injuries, the way the offense looked without his plus-one capabilities, and all the other reasons teams fear cutting a franchise check to a young quarterback are enough for the Eagles to hold off on an extension.

But they have a Super Bowl to try to win first. And they have a serious-minded quarterback who is as diligent as they come and only three wins from giving the Eagles their second championship in five years.

“I can’t say that I’ll smile,” Hurts said, “until the job is finished.”