Eagles overreactions: Was Hurts really 'rusty' in return? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles won the NFC East and secured the No. 1 seed in perhaps the least-satisfying way possible, winning a slog by playing cautiously against a team of backups.
It wasn't the best situation for the Nick Sirianni's team, and I think he handled things about as well as he could've. But it was an ugly end to a regular season that included some extremely high highs.
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So, as the Birds march into the divisional round and we have two weeks to overthink things, let's overreact to the fourteenth win of the year:
1. I don't think Jalen Hurts wasn't rusty
The Eagles couldn't have rolled out a more conservative game plan. It was clear from the jump that Nick Sirianni & Co. instructed Jalen Hurts to keep things simple, get the ball out early, and avoid any unnecessary contact. The passing game was flush with quick throws and there were no designed runs for the mobile QB.
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Some Eagles fans sounded concerned with the appearance of "rust" from Hurts, and I understand where the sentiment came from: Hurts didn't really look like himself. He made accurate throws and the Birds kept the ball moving, but the explosion wasn't there. Hurts took a few uncharacteristic sacks while holding the ball a bit too long.
But I think the things we saw from Hurts that looked out of character had less to do with rust and more to do with the Eagles' game plan itself.
I think a big part of the "rust" can be attributed to Hurts constantly thinking instead of simply playing. Sirianni and Shane Steichen clearly asked him to take care of himself first, and make a play second. At that point, he's changing the entire way he's playing the game. He's probably second-guessing his own instincts in order to make safe plays, which isn't going to lead to smooth, aesthetically-pleasing football.
The clearest example of Hurts not being himself came on a 2nd & 1 in the first quarter, on the Eagles' second drive of the game. A weird quasi-botched snap led to a broken play with the ball in Hurts' hands, and after he wiggled into a little open space he gave himself up for a loss of one instead of trying to gain the yard and move the chains. For a guy we've watched run right through linebackers and corners all year, that's not exactly his style.
Even Hurts' third-quarter interception, a bad decision no matter how you slice it, is likely born out of his inability to play his game. Hurts is rolling to his right and, because the Giants know he's not a running threat, is left with basically no option but to try a throw into the end zone or run out of bounds. In that situation you'd like to see Hurts run out of bounds to preserve the field goal, and he needs to make a better decision in the moment. But I understand why it happened.
Long story short: I have no concerns about Hurts' perceived rust. There was probably a little at play, but I think the bigger issue was Hurts playing at 70% for the whole game. With two more weeks of rest and every game a win-or-go-home situation from here on out, we'll see him at full speed - which has been more than enough all year long.
2. Jake Elliott is probably an underrated weapon
Watching Jake Elliott boot five field goals through the uprights on Sunday was yet another reminder that Eagles fans shouldn't take the sixth-year kicker for granted.
Plenty of NFL teams have to cycle through kickers with semi-regularity. And even when they find a guy for a couple years, there's a difference between having a kicker and having a kicker you always trust.
Elliott is the kicker you always trust.
He's largely shored up the weird mid-range issues from his early years while remaining an absolute stud from distance:
He banged in two more from 50+ on Sunday, helping to keep the Giants out of reach all evening long. It was one of those ugly games where your kicker can lose you the game, but Elliott kept the pressure off and allowed the Eagles to keep playing things safe on offense.
Elliott's time in Philadelphia has advanced to a point where you basically assume that his attempts are going through the uprights. The only reason his FG percentage is slightly down this year is the Eagles' offense scoring all those touchdowns: he's only attempted 23 field goals compared to 33 last season.
Elliott finished Sunday's game 23rd in NFL history in field goal accuracy. He's never missed a postseason field goal - he was 7-for-7 during the Super Bowl run - in 11 attempts.
He's just a tremendous kicker, and Eagles fans should consider themselves lucky.
3. Weird end-of-season vibes don't matter
The Eagles' otherwise spectacular regular season hit the brakes pretty quickly this year, and the last three weeks of the season stunk. Here's how things went:
- Lose to the hated Cowboys on Christmas Eve
- Lose to the lowly Saints and hurt your draft pick
- Beat Giants in a low-energy game vs. backups
That's not very fun!
But I don't think all of the early- and mid-season momentum coming to a screeching halt really means anything.
The postseason is its own beast. We've seen dominant teams hit walls once mid-January arrives, and we've seen this very organization turn it back on after a similarly wonky end to the season en route to a Super Bowl.
This situation is where you lean on the leadership of your head coach and the leaders in the locker room, and this team feels particularly suited to do so. Nick Sirianni has shown throughout the season that he clearly has the ear of his players, and Jalen Hurts is the kind of level-headed voice you want inspiring guys to work their tails off for two weeks to get right and get on the same page before their first playoff game kicks off.
It wasn't the fun, raucous party you assumed it would be when the Eagles clinched the No. 1 seed on Sunday. After racing through the NFL and building up a seemingly insurmountable lead over the rest of the NFC, these have been ugly and sometimes sloppy football games.
But I think this team will kick things back into gear when the playoffs start, and I think they're going to the Super Bowl.
