Jalen Hurts returned after a two-game absence, Jake Elliott kicked five field goals and the Philadelphia Eagles finally clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 22-16 win Sunday over the visiting New York Giants.
Hurts had missed the last two games, replaced by Gardner Minshew in losses to Dallas and New Orleans, as the Eagles (14-3) failed to secure the top seed. Sunday’s win also locked up the NFC East title for Philadelphia.
Hurts led six scoring drives and the Eagles never trailed the Giants (9-7-1), who had already sewn up the No. 6 seed and opted to rest quarterback Daniel Jones, Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley and other starters.
Philadelphia secured a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and also broke a franchise record for wins set in 2004 and 2017 (both 13-3). That 2017 squad also earned the No. 1 seed and went on to win Super Bowl LII.
“Winning pretty is not a priority,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “… You’re going to win some ugly. We know the last two weeks and parts of today were not up to our standard, but winning in this league is hard to do and we won’t apologize for it.”
Hurts passed for 229 yards with an interception, Boston Scott ran for a touchdown and A.J. Brown caught four passes for 95 yards.
The Giants will kick off their first postseason since 2016 on the road next weekend with a wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Davis Webb, who had never even attempted a pass since entering the league in 2017, made his first career start and completed 23 of 40 passes for 168 yards.
“Whoever we have out there, I have confidence in,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said of his decision to rest key starters. “… I thought that everybody out there competed right to the end.”
Webb’s 14-yard TD run in the fourth quarter pulled New York within 19-9 and his 25-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay made it 22-16 with 1:38 remaining.
The Eagles recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
Elliott’s 32-yard field goal gave Philadelphia a quick 3-0 lead. On his first snap since Dec. 18, Hurts began the drive with a 35-yard completion to Brown.
Scott’s 8-yard touchdown run — his 10th score in eight career games against the Giants — made it 10-0.
Elliott added two field goals in the second quarter (52 and 39 yards) for a 16-0 lead at halftime. It was 19-0 when he struck from 54 yards midway through the third quarter.
New York got on the board with Graham Gano’s 24-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
Elliott’s 22-yarder, his career-best fifth field goal of the game, came with 3:21 remaining in the game.
Brown finished the season with 1,496 yards, breaking Mike Quick’s 1984 single-season Eagles record of 1,409.
–Field Level Media
