PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts felt little need to defend his pedestrian numbers in his first game in three weeks because of a concussion.
The 131 yards passing. The 36 yards rushing. The missed throws. Going the entire second quarter without completing a pass.
The only numbers that mattered to Hurts were the ones on the scoreboard: Eagles 22, Packers 10.
“You know that doesn’t matter," Hurts said of his statistics. "You know that doesn’t matter. It’s all about winning. That’s the only thing we’ve got to the point we are. So, it’s about finding ways to win.”
The NFC East champion Eagles just keep on winning — 13 of 14 overall on their way toward hosting a divisional round playoff game against the Rams or Vikings on Sunday.
They have won often this season because of Hurts, NFL rushing leader Saquon Barkley (who had a relatively quiet 119 yards rushing) and receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. All were secondary pieces against Green Bay to a defense that harangued Jordan Love into throwing three interceptions — and seemed like it was just warming up.
“That's what we're known for, our defense,” cornerback Darius Slay. “I know at the beginning of the year, we were not (getting turnovers) as we wanted to. As the season got on, you saw it, it really picked up. We're a physical team that turns the ball over.”
It's the kind of recipe for success that often leads to a deep run in the postseason.
What's working
De-fense!
The Eagles had three interceptions (Zack Baun, Quinyon Mitchell and Slay) and one special teams fumble recovery (Jeremiah Trotter Jr.). The Eagles' four takeaways were their most in a playoff game since they had the same number in a 2002 game at Chicago. Baun was the first Eagles linebacker with an interception in a playoff game since DeMeco Ryans in 2014. Mitchell was the first Eagles rookie with a postseason interception since Roynell Young in the NFC championship game on Jan. 11, 1981, against Dallas.
The lone problem: the Eagles scored only off the fumble recovery on the opening drive of the game.
What needs help
Hurts did enough to win. Did he do enough to keep confidence high that the Eagles can win a Super Bowl?
His modest numbers were somewhat understandable, both as he returned from a concussion and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore failed to get Hurts in a groove in the middle of the game. The Eagles relied on their top-ranked defense to get past the Packers. The offense — as Brown noted earlier this season, the passing game — needs to find its stride.
“As an offense, we struggled a little bit. I don’t think we had the game that we wanted to have on offense, but Jalen I think did a lot of good things,” Sirianni said.
Stock up
Tight end Dallas Goedert. Goedert returned in the regular-season finale after a four-game layoff because of a knee injury. He showed his true value with a gritty touchdown run and bullied Carrington Valentine with three stiff-arms on the way into the end zone.
"Nobody in this league is as violent and as physical as Dallas Goedert with the ball in his hands," Sirianni said.
Honorable mention to self-help author Jim Murphy, who became an overnight sensation on Amazon's bestsellers list with his book “Inner Excellence.” Wide receiver A.J. Brown was caught on the bench reading the book at the end of the game.
Stock down
Jake Elliott is having a tough time making all his kicks. Elliott did hit field goals of 32, 31 and 30 yards, yet he missed an extra point that kept the Packers within striking distance in the second half.
Elliott made only 28 of 36 field goals overall this season and missed 6 of 7 from 50-plus yards — the kind of long distances so many playoff games come down to in the end.
Injuries
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a devastating injury to his left knee that will knock him out of the playoffs. Dean could be seen using crutches and with his left leg in a brace. He limped off the field in the second quarter, was carted off the field and quickly was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Key number
3 — Sirianni has won three straight playoff games at Lincoln Financial Field. That is tied for the longest home winning streak in Eagles postseason history, joining Andy Reid (2000-03 and 2005-07) and Dick Vermeil (1979-81).
Next steps
The winner of Monday night’s wild-card game between Minnesota and the Los Angeles Rams in Arizona awaits.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
