American Football

The Linc – Jalen Hurts and Lane Johnson appear to be just fine

on

NFC Divisional Playoffs - New York Giants v Philadelphia Eagles
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/22/23.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

NFL Divisional Round: Biggest winners and losers from Saturday’s games – NFL.com
3) Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. All the questions that lingered about the sprained shoulder that bothered Hurts at the end of the regular season ended on Saturday night. He may have been hindered enough to sit in Weeks 16 and 17 — while playing cautiously in Philadelphia’s season finale against the Giants — but Hurts looked comfortable and dangerous in this latest victory. He threw for 154 yards and two scores and added 34 yards and another rushing touchdown on nine carries. Most importantly, Hurts didn’t get hurt. The Eagles spent the last few weeks trying to make sure their star quarterback was as close to 100 percent as possible and that bye week was critical to aiding that recovery. The way Hurts played on Saturday reaffirmed why his presence is so important to this offense. The Eagles have a ton of weapons. Hurts makes them better with his ability to run, throw and lead. That’s also why this game was over so quickly, with Philadelphia storming out to a 28-0 advantage by halftime. Once it became apparent Hurts wasn’t compromised, the Giants couldn’t do anything to slow down this team.

Roob’s Obs: Hurts, Sirianni, more shine in dominating win – NBCSP
1. There’s a reason Jalen Hurts was the MVP before he got hurt, and he showed everybody exactly why Saturday night. This was a monster performance by the 24-year-old Hurts, a masterpiece of efficient playoff football. He was in complete control throughout, making all the right decisions, delivering the ball accurately, commanding the offense flawlessly. If anybody had any doubts whether that shoulder was still bothering him or whether he’d be 100 percent, they were quickly answered. A 40-yarder to DeVonta Smith on his first pass, 7-for-7 with TD passes to Dallas Goedert and Smith in the first quarter, and the game was effectively over before he threw an incomplete pass. Hurts added a touchdown run in the second quarter and finished 16-for-24 for 154 yards and a beefy 112.2 passer rating, 4th-highest in franchise history (behind Rodney Peete vs. the Lions in 1995, Nick Foles against the Vikings in 2017 and Tommy Thompson against the Steelers in 1947). This was a huge step for Hurts, who had such a tough time down in Tampa last year in his postseason debut. The Eagles are now 15-1 with Hurts in uniform this year, and he’s the youngest QB in franchise history to reach the NFC Championship Game – he’s about nine months younger than Donovan McNabb was in 2001 and next weekend he’ll try to become only the eighth QB in history to take a team to the Super Bowl before his 25th birthday. I sure as heck ain’t betting against him.

Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Giants divisional round playoff game – PhillyVoice
1) The ‘They’re OK!’ Award: Jalen Hurts and Lane Johnson. In the lead-up to the Eagles’ first playoff game, it was unknown how much Hurts’ sprained shoulder and Johnson’s adductor injuries would affect their play. Hurts was clearly not himself in the Eagles’ Week 18 win over the Giants’ backups, and Johnson was playing in his first game since suffering his injury against the Cowboys Week 16. Both star players appeared to be fine. Hurts completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs, for a passer rating of 112.2. He also ran 9 times for 34 yards and did not seem affected when he was hit. Meanwhile, Johnson helped open gaping holes in the run game. “He’s a warrior,” Hurts said of Johnson, “and it looks like he came out of this thing clean.”

Eagles stomp Giants to advance to NFC Championship Game, 38 to 7 – BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles are through to the NFC Championship Game after beating the New York Giants in the Divisional Round on Saturday night! Final score: 38 to 7. This game was reminiscent of the early season 2022 Eagles. In both good and bad ways. The good involved the offense getting off to a hot start. Philly’s first five drives produced four touchdowns for a 28-0 lead at halftime. Despite telling Pam Oliver that his shoulder is “nowhere near 100%” for a pregame interview, Jalen Hurts threw the ball well. He also used his legs effectively. And so did the Eagles’ running backs, who had success on the ground. Jonathan Gannon’s defense, meanwhile, did a great job of harassing Daniel Jones early and often. The Giants had absolutely no answer for Haason Reddick.

BGN Instant Reaction Show: Eagles advance to NFC Championship Game after destroying Giants, 38-7 – BGN Radio
After destroying the Giants 38-7 the Eagles advance to the NFC Championship Game!! Shane Haff, Jessica Taylor and Raichele Privette recap everything they saw from the Eagles dominant win and share their thoughts on who they’d like the Eagles to face in the NFC Championship game.

Eagles’ 31-point win over Giants tied for 25th biggest margin of playoff victory in Super Bowl era – SB Nation
Philadelphia tied six other teams, including their own 2018 victory over Minnesota five years ago to the day (Jan. 21, 2018), with the 25th largest margin of victory since the Super Bowl started. With a zero on the scoreboard at halftime, the Giants were at risk of being just the 22nd team in the Super Bowl era to be shut out in the playoffs. The last time that happened was in 2016 when the Houston Texans fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 30-0. Only five teams have been shut out in the playoffs since 1997.

Domination – Iggles Blitz
The best thing about this win is that the Eagles didn’t do anything magical. There weren’t a bunch of deep balls or wild runs. There weren’t pick-sixes or fumble returns. This was a good team playing like a good team and just dominating a mediocre opponent. The crowd was fired up and helped the Eagles to play with emotion. It was fair to have questions about how this group might play in the postseason. You just don’t know until you see it for the first time. The Eagles were favorites and played like it. They were confident and aggressive. They were smart and physical. They were the better team and made that clear from the first few plays of the game. That’s a great sign for next week and hopefully beyond. Nick Sirianni won his first playoff game. Hurts too. The moment wasn’t too big for them. Sirianni preaches living in the moment and the players really bought into that. This was just the next game to them.

NFL Divisional Round Game Recap: Philadelphia Eagles 38, New York Giants 7 – PFF
Defensive Spotlight: James Bradberry had a career night against the Giants. He currently owns a 92.1 grade on first review, which would be the highest of his seven-year tenure thus far. He picked off Daniel Jones and forced an incompletion. In all, he only allowed two catches for six yards. Bradberry only allowed a 16.7 passer rating when targeted. For comparison, spiking the ball every play nets a 39.6 rating.

Eagles have 75 sacks in regular season and playoffs, most since 1985 Bears – PFT
This year’s Eagles have accomplished a feat not seen since the great 1985 Bears. After sacking Daniel Jones five times in Saturday night’s win over the Giants, the 2022 Eagles now have 75 sacks in their 18 combined regular season and postseason games. That’s the third-most in NFL history.

Jalen Hurts gave Eagles Jordan-like boost, Nick Sirianni says – ESPN
The Eagles largely stayed away from designed runs in Hurts’ return from the injury in the regular-season finale against New York, but they dialed up six designed runs for him in the first half alone Saturday, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The offense got back to its explosive ways, and Philadelphia racked up 268 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Eagles’ quick reinvention between Super Bowl contenders is remarkable. Just ask an All-Pro who was part of both – Yahoo! Sports
Like veteran center Jason Kelce, a five-time All-Pro who was a key player on the championship team and has been a huge part of the Eagles’ ability to quickly get good again. “There’s one thing you have to credit Howie Roseman and the Eagles’ front office for,” Kelce said after the game. “We’ve turned things around very quickly, which is something that I don’t think you’ve seen too much from other organizations. I think we keep really good people around.”

Spadaro: A near-perfect first half set the tone for a Giant victory – PE.com
They talked all week of having so much “pent-up energy,” about how they were “ready to explode” and that all of them, collectively, “were ready to play their best game” when the NFC Divisional Round Playoff Game kicked off against the New York Giants on Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field. And then the Eagles went out and jumped on the Giants with a perfect first half, taking a 28-point lead into the locker room en route to a 38-7 win and a date in next Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field against the winner of today’s Cowboys-49ers game. “We were so amped up to play and that was obvious, wasn’t it? I mean, we couldn’t wait to get out there,” running back Miles Sanders said. “We got right into it, the defense did its part and we just balled out.” It was every bit the domination that a 28-0 first half would suggest. The Eagles gained 18 first downs to New York’s 3, outgained them 258 total net yards to 64, converted 6 of 7 third downs, and scored touchdowns on all four trips inside New York’s 20-yard line.

Giants-Eagles ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’ review: Giants outclassed by Eagles – Big Blue View
Kudos to … There are no individual ‘Kudos’ today as it relates to Saturday night’s performance. There are none deserved. Coach Brian Daboll calling the loss a “crash landing” was appropriate. The Giants weren’t competitive and no one played well enough or had enough positive impact to earn an individual ‘Kudos.’ What the Giants as a whole do get ‘Kudos’ for is being there in the first place. For the surprising, entertaining season they had. For making it enjoyable to watch — and cover — Giants football again. For bringing energy back into MetLife Stadium. For bringing hope back to a franchise that had become a laughingstock. The ending was a crash landing. The trip itself? A surprisingly enjoyable ride.

Cowboys playoff schedule: If Dallas advances to NFC title game, they will visit Philadelphia Eagles – Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys started off this playoff run by getting rid of the narrative that they couldn’t beat Tom Brady. If they manage to get through the 49ers, who ended their season a year ago. there would be no more fitting cherry on top than beating the Eagles at their place and celebrating a trip to the Super Bowl. [BLG Note: Keep dreaming, RJ.]

The Eagles will host the NFC Championship after demolishing the Giants – Niners Nation
The 49ers played the Eagles last year and won 17-11, but that was obviously a very different team. The Eagles aren’t the only ones that have gotten better. This year’s Niners are world’s better than a season ago.

Betting Cowboys-49ers against the spread in the 2023 NFL Divisional round – DraftKings Nation
ATS Pick: 49ers -4. The Cowboys were picked against on the road in the first round but came away with the 31-14 win. The 49ers took care of the Seattle Seahawks, 41-23. San Francisco moved their win streak up to 11 games, and they have won by an average score of 16.3 points in that span. Dallas hadn’t won a playoff game on the road since 1992 before picking up their Wild Card win at Tampa Bay last week. The 49ers were expected to struggle to have to turn the offense over to Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy due to injuries in the quarterback room. Instead, he has continued to keep their offense performing at a high pace, especially with the like of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle in tow. This should be a competitive game, but I think San Francisco covers and advances to the NFC Championship game.

Washington Commanders DBs coach Chris Harris will join Titans coaching staff – Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders are reportedly going to be losing another coach as team’s look to adjust their staffs after the season. Defensive Backs Coach Chris Harris has been getting interest from other teams for the last two years, and will now join Mike Vrabel’s staff on the Tennessee Titans as their defensive pass game coordinator/cornerbacks coach. Harris was also receiving interest from the Chicago Bears, a team that he played for and got his start in coaching with.

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen

BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta

BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton

BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio

You must be logged in to post a comment Login