Eagles’ Nick Sirianni all but says it: Jalen Hurts will play against Giants
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PHILADELPHIA — Help is on the way.
Now that the Eagles have blown two chances to clinch the NFC’s top seed, a first-round bye in the playoffs and home-field advantage throughout the postseason — not to mention a chance to rest their nicked-up starters — head coach Nick Sirianni all but said Sunday that starting quarterback Jalen Hurts will be back for next Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Giants.
Hurts has missed the past two games with a sprained throwing shoulder, and Sunday’s game will be the Eagles’ last-gasp attempt to grab all those goodies.
And with everything again riding on the final game, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew is headed for the bench, never to be seen again, except in mop-up time or an emergency. On Sunday, in an embarrassing 20-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Minshew proved that he’s basically a backup quarterback and not the guy the Eagles want to bet their postseason future on again.
“[Hurts] was close this week,” Sirianni said after the Eagles’ latest flop. “Obviously, we’ll take it one day at a time. For me to say right now or today, ‘Yeah he’s playing’ or ‘He’s not playing,’ isn’t fair to anybody because so many things can happen in a week. We’re going to have to evaluate, see where he is. His health is the No. 1 priority. If he’s ready to go, he’ll play.”
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Maybe the Eagles, now 13-3, believed — wrongly — they could steal a game at home against the lowly Saints with Minshew. Speculation had been flying that Minshew, after his strong performance in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, could be a quarterback answer for several teams that will be hunting for a starter in the offseason, including the Jets. Expect a “no thanks” from Florham Park — and every other NFL team — after they watch this game film.
On Sunday, Gardner was shaky under pressure, misfired on some easy throws and threw a game-sealing pick-six. The stat sheet says he completed 18 of 32 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown, but those numbers are deceiving, and the TD came on A.J. Brown’s 78-yard catch-and-run when a defender stumbled out of bounds. Minshew admitted he probably held the ball too long, which, in part, led to six sacks.
The Eagles went three-and-out on their first four possessions and trailed, 13-0, at the half. They didn’t pick up their initial first don until there were 12 seconds left in the half. They looked better in the second half, but that’s a low bar.
“Obviously, he’ll want plays back,” Sirianni said. “We’ll all want plays back. I’ll have to look at the tape. They made a good play on the interception at a critical time. It wasn’t Gardner’s best game and it wasn’t our best game on offense — not even close, right? Gardner is capable of playing better. We’re capable of coaching better and we’re all capable of playing better.”
And now, the stakes are too high in this must-win game. The Eagles need Hurts — the MVP candidate who can dominate a game with his arm or legs, a guy who can convert third downs, a quarterback whose mobility can drive a defense crazy while offering forgiveness for an offensive line that suddenly has forgotten the snap count and how to block.
The funny thing is, the Eagles, who once were steamrolling the NFL, likely will face a Giants team that will tank to stay healthy — no matter how much grief they’ll get this week from the Cowboys, who could steal the NFC East, or whoever has a shot at the top seed, if the Eagles lose.
Remember when Doug Pederson took abuse for playing third-string QB Nate Sudfeld in a loss to Washington when an Eagles’ victory would have put the Giants in the playoffs? Now, the Giants likely will lay down for the Eagles.
With Hurts, the Eagles should be able to beat the Giants’ second-stringers, including backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, at Lincoln Financial Field. Don’t expect the Giants to risk quarterback Daniel Jones or running back Saquon Barkley for many plays, if at all, next Sunday.
Meanwhile … “We’re going to double down on what we know is true,” Sirianni said on Sunday.
And what they know is this: In this moment truth, Hurts must play.
“Jalen’s been playing really good football the entire year and he’s a leader of our team,” Sirianni said. “It would be good to have him back because of the type of person and leader he is. If Jalen’s able to go, he’ll go.”
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