The Philadelphia Eagles clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, which means that Jalen Hurts and his teammates will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Fans should snap up their Philadelphia Eagles tickets quickly, even if the No. 1 seed means Philly has a bye this weekend.
That week off could be massive for their chances of making a deep playoff run – perhaps even more so than playing at home – given that Hurts is still struggling with his shoulder injury going by his performance in the regular season finale against the New York Giants.
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Jalen Hurts Shoulder Issue
The game plan for the Eagles against the Giants was to keep their quarterback out of harm’s way as much as possible. It is likely Hurts wouldn’t have played had the San Francisco 49ers not been a win – and an Eagles loss – away from taking the top seed to the West Coast. As it was, the 49ers had been gaining ground over the last couple of weeks, and the Eagles needed a win to secure their stop atop the NFC pile.
The most obvious way that this was a factor is that Hurts’ legs were taken out of the equation. The Eagles have one of the most unique red zone offenses in the NFL because they use their quarterback on designed runs and RPOs to take advantage of his varied skill set. That wasn’t the case here, with the coaching staff not wanting to put their star in situations where he would get mashed by a defensive lineman or linebacker while trying to score.
Going conservative meant the Eagles didn’t look as good in this game as they have this season. It also made Hurts look rustier than he is, as he was forced to play as more of a traditional quarterback, something that doesn’t take advantage of what he offers. It was the right move. All the Eagles had to do was win – no matter how ugly – to get Hurts another week off to heal up. This should allow the Eagles to get creative with their quarterback again in two weeks, unleashing his full range of abilities on whichever team comes to Lincoln Financial Field.
At his best, Hurts is one of the most explosive playmakers in the league. The plan for the Eagles in the playoffs – assuming that Hurts doesn’t reach 100% health at any point – has to push the edges of what he is capable of while not putting him in danger of being knocked out of a game. It will be a delicate balancing act, but it could take the Eagles to the Super Bowl if handled correctly.
Always remember folks to bleed Eagles’ green, and Fly Hurts Fly!
