Eagles slot cornerback Avonte Maddox returned to practice for the first time in nearly a month Wednesday.

After missing the last four weeks with a toe injury sustained on Christmas Eve against the Dallas Cowboys, Maddox was listed as a limited participant in practice on the Eagles injury report. The Eagles held a walk through Wednesday afternoon, meaning the injury report is an estimation of a player’s availability if the team held a regular practice session.

Defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson has filled in for Maddox at the nickel cornerback position the last two games and has played well, but Maddox would give the Eagles a slight boost in versatility.

Undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship has taken Gardner-Johnson’s usual spot as the weakside safety in the Eagles defense during Maddox’s absence. If Gardner-Johnson returns to the back end with Maddox in the fold, he would give the Eagles greater flexibility matching up, especially against an offense as versatile as the 49ers’.

» READ MORE: Slot cornerback Avonte Maddox returns to Eagles practice

— EJ Smith

Jalen Hurts arrived to his press conference on Wednesday afternoon in his typical stoic fashion. Hurts had spent the morning attending meetings with the Eagles preparing to host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Hurts was apparently so deep into his preparations that the 24-year-old quarterback wasn’t made aware he was a named a finalist for the NFL’s most valuable player award, along with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

“I didn’t know that,” Hurts said of his MVP candidacy. “We put the work in. I think it’s a cool honor. I don’t really have much to say about it. I don’t know, I’m at a loss of words for it, to be honest.”

Hurts, who is also one of four finalists for offensive player of the year, wasn’t quite ready to address his success this season.

“It’s not the time for me to reflect on all that because I’m not done,” he said.

His teammates, on the other hand, weren’t so reluctant.

“Jalen deserves it,” wide receiver DeVonta Smith said. “He comes in and does the things he needs to do everyday. He’s been the leader of this team. He deserves is fasho. 15-1 with Jalen as our quarterback. The results speak for itself.”

Tight end Dallas Goedert added: “I think he should win it. He’s been the biggest piece of what we’ve done this year. He’s been incredible all year. It’s an incredible thing for him to be up there. Hopefully he gets all [the votes].”

» READ MORE: ‘I’m not done’: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts is a finalist for NFL MVP, but more focused on the NFC championship game

— Josh Tolentino

If you want to win tickets to the Eagles’ NFC championship game against the San Fransisco 49ers, your chance is coming up. And all you’ve got to do is watch some drones.

On Saturday, the Birds will host an immersive drone show above the Philadelphia Museum of Art in celebration of their advancement to the NFC championship game. The show will face East towards the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and it kicks off at 7 p.m.

Organizers, meanwhile, suggest gathering at The Oval for the best view. But be prompt — the show is scheduled last just seven minutes.

At some point during the show, the drones used to light up the sky in honor of the Eagles will display a QR code you can scan with your phone. Scan it, and you’ll be entered into a giveaway for two tickets to the NFC championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Tickets for the game sold out in minutes when they were released on Tuesday. And following the on-sale, passes began showing up for $700 or more on the online resale market, before fees.

— Nick Vadala

A.J. Brown can’t be satisfied.

The Eagles’ star wide receiver held court Wednesday for the first time since cameras caught him visibly frustrated on the sideline during his team’s playoff rout of the New York Giants. Brown had three catches for 22 yards and was shown on the broadcast being consoled by coach Nick Sirianni in the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 38-7 divisional-round win.

Sirianni said earlier this week that Brown’s frustration came from the limited targets (six) and the mentality he has to “crave” the football. When asked about Sirianni’s comments, Brown offered a similar sentiment.

“If you throw the ball to me 100 times, I’m going to want it 101 times,” Brown said. “I just feel like I can change the game at any moment. Getting the ball often keeps you going, keeps you in a rhythm, it definitely puts you in the zone, keeps you locked in. Of course, I want the ball.”

» READ MORE: ‘I’m not that guy’: Eagles’ A.J. Brown puts last Saturday’s sideline frustrations to bed

— EJ Smith

Only two players appeared on the Eagles initial injury report this week: Lane Johnson and Avonte Maddox. Johnson played through his groin injury last week against the Giants and head coach Nick Sirianni remains hopeful that Maddox can play in Sunday’s NFC championship game.

Perhaps most importantly, there was one notable name missing from the injury report: wideout A.J. Brown.

Brown was dinged up against the Giants, but Sirianni said Monday and again Wednesday that he expects him to play. This injury report certainly backs that up.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Nick Sirianni: Ailing A.J. Brown is expected to play, and Avonte Maddox has a chance to return vs. 49ers

— Matt Mullin

For one week, A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel aren’t on speaking terms.

The fellow wide receivers forged a friendship dating back to the pre-draft process in 2019 and have remained close. They’re both represented by NFL agent Tory Dandy and both earned lucrative contract extensions last offseason.

Brown said he called Samuel after his 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, setting up an NFC championship between the two friend’s teams at Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday.

Until the game is over, Brown said, the two agreed to radio silence.

“That’s my bro,” Brown said. “He’s not talking to me at this time. We talked after he won the game. We told each other good luck and we’ll see each other on the field, but he’s locked in and I’m locked in. It’s all love at the end of the day, regardless of how it goes.”

» READ MORE: How the Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith forged a complementary relationship on and off the field

— EJ Smith

Three 49ers starters won’t practice on Wednesday due to lingering injuries, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Wednesday.

Here’s who is out of practice today:

Shanahan also told reporters he doesn’t expect quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to return for Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Eagles following X-rays of his injured foot. That means Josh Johnson will once again backup Brock Purdy, the rookie seventh-round pick who has led the 49ers to 10 straight wins.

— Rob Tornoe

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said defensive end Charles Omenihu, who was arrested Monday after a domestic incident, will be allowed to play in Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Eagles.

“We feel very good letting the legal process take care of itself, and don’t feel we should kick him off the team at this time,” Shanahan told reporters Wednesday.

Omenihu, 25, was arrested after a domestic incident involving his girlfriend on Monday. According to police, officers were called to Omenihu’s home on a report of domestic violence, and a woman who identified herself as his girlfriend said she felt pain in her arm after he “pushed her to the ground during an argument.” Police said the woman declined medical attention.

Omenihu was released on bail Monday. The NFL said it was investigating the incident.

“The matter will be reviewed under the league’s personal conduct policy. There is no change to his status,” the league said in a statement.

Omenihu’s status for Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Eagles is unclear. He was listed as day-to-day on the team’s injury report Monday after suffering an oblique strain during Sunday’s divisional-round win against the Dallas Cowboys, and was listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday.

» READ MORE: Arrested 49ers defender Charles Omenihu will play against Eagles if he’s healthy, coach says

— Rob Tornoe

In the wake of the Eagles Super Bowl win in 2018, Jigar Desai’s young sons asked their dad why people always wanted to take pictures with him, and why the crowds parted for them at the Super Bowl parade.

It took Desai a few weeks to come clean. But, he sat his sons down and, without exposition or explanation, showed them the video.

Taken on Jan. 21, 2018, before the Birds 38-7 win over the Vikings in the NFC championship game, the video is of a man in a Brian Dawkins jersey. He is standing on a subway platform pumping up Eagles fans on the Broad Street line. As the train pulls away from the station, the enthusiastic fan runs full bore beside it, face-first into a pillar.

That video made Desai, 47, who works in omnichannel operations for a pharmaceutical company, a viral sensation and one of the most memorable fans from the Eagles 2018 Super Bowl run. With the Eagles in the playoffs again, Desai is now doing everything in his power to ensure they win it all.

Call it superstition or call it pseudoscience, but before every playoff game, Desai must now run into a pillar. If he happens to be in South Philly, he’ll visit the actual pillar he ran into at the Ellsworth-Federal Station. But if he’s not in the area, he’ll run into a pillar in the living room of his Lower Gwynedd home.

“It’s working,” he said, “Let’s not mess with a good thing.”

» READ MORE: ‘Eagles Pillar Guy’ still runs into poles before playoff games for good luck

— Stephanie Farr

The best way to start any story about Coach of the Year voting is with a big deep breath and a long, exaggerated eye-roll. Same goes for most end-of-year voting. Remember, these awards exist mostly for parochial reactions, because each local market watches its own candidate closer than any of the other, and because observation bias is a thing, everybody comes away thinking they were robbed.

Of course, I am immune to cognitive biases, which is why you should trust me when I say that Nick Sirianni really, truly, actually was robbed when the NFL left him off its list of finalists for the league’s Coach of the Year Award.

My case for Sirianni is simple: no team exceeded the preseason consensus farther than they did. There’s a quantifiable way to measure such thing: just look at each team’s Vegas win total at the start of the season and compare it to their final win total. The Week 1 line for the Eagles was 9.5. They ended up with 14, +4.5 games, or 47.4 percent more.

None of the three finalists came close to that mark. Brian Daboll was +2 wins over the preseason line of 7. Same goes for Doug Pederson. Kyle Shanahan was +3 over the 49ers line of 10 wins. I wasn’t a math major, but 30 percent is less than 47 percent.

If we’re begin honest, Daboll and Pederson both exceeded expectations more than the Eagles did. Was it a bigger surprise that the Eagles won 14 games or that the Giants made the playoffs at all? I would argue that the Jaguars were less of a surprise, because I picked them to make the playoffs. That said, the coaching job Pederson did with Trevor Lawrence over the course of the seasons deserves as many accolades as the job Sirianni has done with Hurts.

The one thing we can all agree on is that Sirianni should have gotten the nod over Shanahan. Right? I mean, winning 14 games with an MVP candidate at quarterback is far more impressive than winning 13 games with Trey Lance, Jimmy Garappolo and Brock Purdy. Right?

Dang it.

» READ MORE: The Eagles’ Nick Sirianni was robbed of NFL coach of the year. Or was he?

— David Murphy

He’s light brindle with a pink spot on his nose. He’s very small. It’s unclear how many yards, touchdowns, or interceptions he has had this year — but we’re rooting for him anyway. Tailen Hurts has been announced as part of Team Fluff’s roster for the Puppy Bowl XIX.

The annual event, which promotes animal adoption, returns Feb. 12 on Animal Planet and pits Team Ruff v. Team Fluff. The big game will feature 122 puppies from 67 shelters and rescues across 34 states. Tailen — whose name was River before he got drafted — is a local legend, hailing from Brandywine Valley SPCA.

Along with Tailen, 15 other players are from seven local animal rescues spanning Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

» READ MORE: From ‘Tailen Hurts’ to ‘Josh Allenhound’: Everything you need to know about Puppy Bowl XIX

— Emily Bloch

Fewer than 48 hours have passed since NFL conference championship game odds hit betting boards across the land. And in that short period, a solid consensus opinion has formed in the wagering community: We’re headed for an Eagles vs. Bengals matchup in Super Bowl LVII.

You can tell bettor preference by the line movement. Most shops opened the host Eagles anywhere from -1.5 to -2. But after being inundated with Philly money, those shops quickly moved to -2.5.

That remains the consensus point spread — although several sportsbooks on Monday jumped to as high as Philadelphia -3 (-105) before dialing back to -2.5 (-115).

The vast majority of BetMGM’s point spread action has been on the home team. As of early Tuesday afternoon, BetMGM reported that 77% of all wagers placed and a whopping 87% of all dollars collected were on the Eagles.

Meanwhile, in the AFC, Kansas City was a consensus 1.5-point favorite Sunday night.

That number then toggled between Chiefs -1.5 and Chiefs -1 for several hours before jumping the fence yet again — first to Bengals -1, then Bengals -1.5.

Now? Cincinnati — which went to Kansas City a year ago and beat a healthy Patrick Mahomes 27-24 to earn the franchise’s third Super Bowl berth — is up to a consensus 2.5-point road favorite.

» READ MORE: NFL conference championship game odds: Early action favors Eagles, Bengals

— Matt Jacob, The Action Network

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of five finalists for the NFL MVP award, the league announced Wednesday.

Hurts, 24, led the Eagles to a league-high 14 wins and the NFC’s top playoff seed in his second year as a starter. In addition to his 3,701 yards passing and 22 touchdown passes, Hurts added 760 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

The other four MVP finalists are Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Hurts is also an offensive player of the year nominee, along with Mahomes, Jefferson, and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

The winners will be announced during the NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. on NBC.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts a finalist for NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards

— Rob Tornoe

The Associated Press announced its finalists for NFL coach of the year and Nick Sirianni wasn’t among the three coaches with the most votes, despite the Eagles having the league’s best record of 14-3.

The Giants’ Brian Daboll, the Bills’ Sean McDermott, and the Jaguars’ and former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson were the finalists. The winner will be announced on Feb. 9 at the NFL Honors Award Show in Arizona.

NFL writers vote for the award and voting was based upon the regular season. The Eagles haven’t had a winner of the award since Andy Reid in 2002. Ray Rhodes (1995) and Buck Shaw (1960) were the franchise’s only other winners.

Sirianni has the Eagles in Sunday’s NFC championship with the 49ers in only his second season. The Eagles went 9-8 and reached the playoffs as a wild card in his first season.

— Jeff McLane

Barring injury or some unforeseeable calamity, the Eagles’ NFC championship matchup against the 49ers could easily go down as the first in an unprecedented run.

I know what you are thinking, but everything about their situation looks more like 2001 than 2017. Beat the 49ers on Sunday, and it will be hard not to conclude that this team is poised to dominate the NFC for the next half decade.

Five years ago, this was not the case. Carson Wentz was coming off an MVP season, but he was also injured. The Eagles’ offensive line was dominant, but it was also starting 35-year-old Jason Peters (also injured) and journeyman Stefen Wisniewski. Their top two running backs would play a total of seven games for the team after the Super Bowl. One of their starting wide receivers would retire in a year. The other was 27 years old going on 40.

That’s not to say that you could have predicted the swift and dramatic downfall that awaited Wentz, Doug Pederson, and those 2017 Eagles. But this one is not that one. This one has surrounded its quarterback with four premium young players in Jordan Mailata, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. Factor in Landon Dickerson plus Hurts and you are looking at an offense with seven of 11 starters under the age of 28 and under contract through at least next season. Six of the seven are under contract through at least 2024.

» READ MORE: Poised for dominance: 2022 Eagles look more like 2001 than 2017

— David Murphy

The cheapest tickets to Sunday’s NFC championship game between the Eagles and 49ers were running about $700 Tuesday night on most reputable resale websites. And that was before the service fees that aren’t shown until you’re about to finish checking out.

So which secondary ticket service is charging the least-expensive fees? Here’s a rundown of the cheapest tickets on reputable resale websites — including the hidden fees — as of Tuesday night:

These secondary ticket websites have also doubled their fees compared to last week’s divisional round game against the New York Giants. For that game, the fees on tickets in the $300 range ranged from $79.97 at Vivid Seats to $104 at SeatGeek. It’s unclear how much Ticketmaster charged in fees for the game.

Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, and StubHub did not respond to a request for comment.

» READ MORE: Searching for Eagles-49ers tickets? Here’s how to steer clear of scams.

— Rob Tornoe

One Hall of Famer is all-in on Jalen Hurts.

Ray Lewis, a two-time Super Bowl champ and Super Bowl XXXV MVP for the Baltimore Ravens, knows a thing or two about playing defense. He thinks Hurts’ running ability is going to put a lot of pressure on San Francisco 49ers linebackers Fred Warner and Nick Bosa.

But it’s Hurts’ leadership Lewis is most impressed by.

“This comes down to who is the greatest leader on the football field. Jalen Hurts,” Lewis said on Inside the NFL on Paramount+ Tuesday night. “That man is a winner, he’s a champion. Philadelphia Eagles go to the Super Bowl this weekend in Philly.”

Longtime CBS analyst and former Giants quarterback Phil Simms thinks the Eagles and 49ers are an interesting matchup that present two teams that are “truly opposites.”

“We’ve got the Philadelphia Eagles, they’re big and powerful. Their defensive line — 70 sacks this year — all guys that can get to the quarterback and rush,” Simms said. “And then look at the San Francisco 49ers. All we see is speed on both sides of the ball. Their linebacking corps just covers up every mistake.”

“I think Philadelphia, to win this game, they’re going to have to throw it,” Simms added. “Their run game is not going to overpower the 49ers.”

— Rob Tornoe

Jonathan Gannon still has vivid memories from his last experience coaching in a conference championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.

On Tuesday, the defensive coordinator recalled the 2017 NFC title game between the Eagles and Vikings, when he served as a Vikings assistant defensive backs coach. The Eagles handily defeated Gannon’s former team, 38-7, to advance to the Super Bowl.

Gannon is hoping to replicate those results Sunday — this time with the home team — as the Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game involving the conference’s top two seeds.

“I was here for a Final Four game, and it was electric, best environment I’ve ever been at or a part of,” Gannon said. “In warm-ups, [Vikings safety] Harrison Smith looked at me with a look in his eye like, ‘Whoa.’ I said, ‘whoa’ back. You could feel the energy, and it’s awesome. This is one of the best atmospheres that you’re going to get in the National Football League, and obviously being the championship game, it’ll be heightened.

“I thought the energy in the building was just phenomenal ... it’s a tough place to play, and it’s a big advantage for us.”

» READ MORE: Jonathan Gannon is impressed with the 49ers offense, but also expects Eagles fans to have an effect

— Josh Tolentino

Here’s the remaining NFL playoff TV schedule (all times are Eastern):

Championship round

Sunday, Jan. 29

Super Bowl LVII

Sunday, Feb. 12

— Rob Tornoe