The fate of the Eagles depends on Jalen Hurts' health

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Ralph Vachiano

NFC East Reporter

The Philadelphia Eagles were a juggernaut when Jalen Hurts was perfectly healthy. They worked most of his schedule during his first three months. Even when the match was closer than expected, they still looked like the dominant team.

That all changed on December 18 in Chicago when the Hearts were driven to the ground by Bears defensive tackle Trevis Gipson at the end of a run late in the third quarter. The Eagles quarterback sprained his SC joint in his right shoulder. It was an injury that would have kept him out of his final three games of the regular season if the Eagles hadn’t had to rush back into the finale to clinch the No. 1 spot. 1 seed for NFC.

Since then, the 24-year-old Hearts have been everything the Eagles offense are, so they look nothing like that old juggernaut. A two-way threat, and in 14 games he was an MVP candidate Without him, they wouldn’t be the same dangerous, versatile, offensive team.

That’s why the news that Eagles coach Nick Siriani broke on Tuesday was a huge sigh of relief for everyone in their building.

“He’s better than he was two weeks ago,” Eagles manager Nick Siriani said. “And he keeps getting better. He feels good.”

Just in case Siriani wasn’t clear, Hurts admitted, “I feel good.”

The Eagles didn’t have much else to say about Hearts on Tuesday, except that he fully attended walkthrough practice and wasn’t listed on the injury report. (14-3) will face the sixth-seeded Eagles on Saturday night (8:15 p.m. ET on FOX), and the world will know just how good Hearts really are. You will know if The Philadelphia Giants (10-7-1). Obviously, they want him to be as close to 100 percent as possible, or even close to “great”.

If there’s one lesson the Eagles learned from the final three games of the season, it’s that if Hearts don’t play their best, they won’t have the Super Bowl they had the season they were hoping for.

That means he can’t just be on the field and throw the ball or avoid a hit to his right shoulder. They need him to be an MVP candidate who can ruin defense with an arm and a leg. He and the Eagles were virtually unstoppable in his first 14 games, when he threw for 3,472 yards, ran for 747 yards and scored 35 combined touchdowns, doing both. . His ability to run and throw from outside the pocket constantly unbalanced defenses and turned the Eagles into the top three offenses that year.

They missed that dimension with two games and two losses with Gardner Minshew at quarterback. They struggled when the Hearts returned in the finale to face a Giants team that didn’t start a single defensive starter.

That match might have been a 22-16 division victory, but it was also a warning sign. The Eagles’ offensive coordinator Shane Steiken said he only called the Hearts’ running his play once. Quarterback sneak. The only other time he ran was when he was flushed out of his pocket, running almost straight for the bystanders to avoid being hit.

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It was a calculated risk to keep Hearts healthy and fit for the postseason. But the result was an offense that struggled, especially in the red zone. Hearts suddenly became a virtual figure behind his line of scrimmage, so they were unusually pressure sensitive. The Eagles’ regular multidimensional attacks were shadows of their former selves.

Of course, the sore isn’t usually statuesque. In his first 14 games of the season, he ran on his 16.8% of the Eagles’ plays (156) and gained his 13.5% of total yards (747). And the quarterback threat, which he gains nearly five yards per carry, not only cornered the opposing pass rusher, but Miles punched a hole in his Sanders (1,269 yards) to drive off an off-balance defender. could not be used. See who carries the ball.

For the Eagles to look like the Eagles, he has to be again, even if it jeopardizes Hartz’s still-healing shoulder.

“I go out on the field every week and get a prize money,” Hartz said. “So I’m going to go out there and play my game. Whatever happens, it happens.”

Yes, the Eagles are doomed if Hearts are injured. But it’s a chance they have to take because of how important he is to their plans. surpassed the rushing touchdown. That was what his rushing ability did to everyone else around him, and what it did to the enemy’s defense.

Stripping that away, sure, the Eagles might be able to beat the Giants’ defense in other ways. Throwing a touchdown gave the Eagles a quick 21-0 lead en route to a 48-22 victory. Of course, they put that game away with a rushing offense that ended with 253 yards in the second half. And his 1-2 punches on Hurts (77 yards) and Myles Sanders (144) kept the Giants’ defense guessing even when the Eagles knew they were going to run.

If Hearts doesn’t run the way you want it to…well, one punch isn’t the same. The Eagles will still be good, but they’re a lot closer to normal and it’s going to be a big setback. Very vulnerable against a Giants team that showed some pretty good 1-2 punches at Jones and Buck Sachon Barkley.

So they have to let the hurt hurt – no matter how much it hurts him. He’s certainly tough enough to handle it, and currently he’s been off for three of the last four weeks. , he must return completely.

So what will he become? Will everything return to normal for the Hearts and Eagles on Saturday night?

“I don’t know,” Hurts said shyly. “I think it depends on how you do it.”

It may not work without him. If so, the Eagles could be back on track for the Super Bowl soon.

Ralph Vacchiano is FOX Sports’ NFC East reporter covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the last six years covering the Giants and Jets on his SNY TV in New York, and for his 16 years prior to that, he covered the Giants and the NFL on the New York Daily News. Follow him on his Twitter: @RalphVacchiano.

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