What we learned from Eagles-Giants: Jalen Hurts doesn’t need Michael Jordan comparisons

The Eagles made clear early in their 38-7 destruction of the New York Giants on Saturday night that the team that listlessly ended the season was not the team that would show up in the postseason. They ran their divisional rivals out of Lincoln Financial Field, setting up next Sunday’s NFC championship game against either the 49ers or Cowboys. Win, lose, or draw, here’s what we learned:

Two weeks after Jalen Hurts’ triumphant return following a shoulder injury, in which he was limited in terms of designed runs, the quarterback was again a plus-one factor and the Eagles exploded for 268 yards on the ground. On the seventh play from scrimmage, he kept on a zone-read play and was dropped for a 1-yard loss. It may have been the Eagles’ most important negative-yard play of the season as it established a backside threat. Hurts ran eight times total on called runs or run-pass option plays. He scrambled once for 6 yards. Overall, he gained 34 yards and scored a touchdown. Mild numbers, perhaps, compared to some of his games during the regular season, but despite Hurts not being 100%, coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen didn’t hold back on putting him in harm’s way.

He was, for the most part, careful. He slid a few times when in the past he might have taken on a defender. But he wasn’t shy either and showed that he could take a hit on the Eagles’ second possession. He deked safety Julian Love in the open field and crashed into a three-man sandwich of Giants tacklers. That keeper set up the Eagles’ second touchdown and further reestablished their dominance in the red zone.

In the season finale, the Eagles went just 1 of 5 inside the 20. On Saturday night, they were 4 of 5. The difference, of course, were the limitations lifted on Hurts’ running. The coup de grace came in the final minute of the first half when he ran power left for a 5-yard score. The Giants never stood a chance thereafter as the offensive line and running backs Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott broke their will after the break.

Hurts was as effective throwing the ball, although he dropped back on only 26 of 67 snaps. He set the tone, though, on the second play from scrimmage. Wide receiver A.J. Brown’s pre-snap motion indicated zone coverage with two post safeties. Receiver DeVonta Smith ran a deep corner out of the slot that got him matched up against Love. He was wide-open and Hurts hit him for 40 yards. It would be one of two throws that he threw more than 20 air yards. But like his zone-read keep a few plays, later it signaled to the Giants that he had enough to sling it downfield, especially vs. Cover 2. Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, as expected, blitzed Hurts and sent extra rushers on 42.3% of his drops. And the Eagles struggled in those situations, completing just 6 of 10 passes for 18 yards as Hurts was sacked once. Sirianni and Steichen essentially took that threat away by running at will. Could the next opponent find a way to force the Eagles into obvious passing downs? That remains to be seen. But as long as Hurts presents danger on the backside, defenses will struggle to pin the offense down.

Or maybe he does? Otherwise, I’m not sure why Sirianni has excessively lauded his quarterback about playing through a shoulder sprain and then compared him to, of all people, maybe the greatest athlete/competitor of all time. “To have him out there is like having — I’m not sure I should even go there — but he’s like having Michael Jordan out there,” the Eagles coach said. “He’s your leader.”

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts is the Eagles’ answer to Michael Jordan. Just ask them. And him.

He shouldn’t have gone there, if only to not enlarge the target that is already on Hurts’ back. There is something refreshing about Sirianni’s bravado, especially in a town that often sees its sports teams through a half-empty glass. And I can kind of get what he’s doing here by pumping up his most important player. But Hurts doesn’t need his confidence buoyed by others. You don’t have a “Breed of One” tattoo and wear a medallion with the same phrase to your postgame news conference if you don’t think you’re special. You don’t wear a Jordan “I’m Back” T-shirt after returning on short notice following the injury if you don’t see yourself in that class.

And here’s the thing: Hurts is special and he has at least earned the right to view himself that way. You need self-esteem to play that position at the highest level of football. But he hasn’t won anything yet and I’ve seen this rodeo before. The Eagles treated Carson Wentz like he won the Super Bowl five years ago because they felt they had to coax him after Nick Foles stepped in and accomplished what he felt was his divine right. I get the why. But the deification of Wentz had started long before that, from police escorts to giving him coaching and personnel sway.

There are plenty of differences between Hurts and Wentz and their circumstances, of course. But the Eagles again find themselves entering an offseason in which they must decide whether to extend a quarterback before his rookie contract has expired. It seems like almost a no-brainer considering Hurts’ development in three years, his temperament and all the off-field intangibles he brings to the table. But he will command a top-of-the-market deal, somewhere in the $50 million-a-year range, and it will alter how owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman conduct business. The Eagles have around 20 pending free agents and many of them will not be back next season.

Before Hurts took the podium in the auditorium at the Linc, Lurie was at his locker stall. He was clearly congratulating his quarterback and gave him a pat on the shoulder. The present is about just one thing: winning a title. But the future, especially if the Eagles fall short, won’t be on the back burner much longer. Hurts doesn’t like money left on the table even in impressive victories. It’s likely he and his agent will take a similar approach to contract negotiations.

It wasn’t exactly clear Lurie did, as well, when he hired the former Colts offensive coordinator, who wasn’t on the radar of any other team that needed a head coach two years go. But maybe it’s time the owner gets the benefit of doubt when it comes to his hires. There’s always an unknown when it comes to elevating coaches without prior head-coaching experience. But Lurie saw something in Sirianni — maybe it was cutting short a family vacation to interview and showing up as prepared as any candidate — beyond the fact that they had run out of options. It doesn’t matter how you get somewhere, it’s what you do when you’re there, and Sirianni has been to the playoffs in each of his two seasons and is two wins from matching Doug Pederson’s accomplishment in his first two years.

The last two wins will conceivably be the most difficult. But even if the Eagles were to exit next weekend, Sirianni has clearly built something in Philadelphia. He has created a culture embraced by players, implemented an offensive scheme that is imaginative and adaptable, and brought a certain moxie to the franchise. Can he come off as obnoxious during and after games with his chest-thumping, braggadocious demeanor? Are the memes and pictures of Sirianni feeling his oats or iced out in a “Dream Chasers” chain borderline insufferable? You bet, especially to the Eagles’ opponents and their followers. Like his Hurts-Jordan comparison, why give them any more fodder?

» READ MORE: Sorry, Nick Sirianni and Brian Daboll. Doug Pederson should be the NFL’s Coach of the Year.

But the worst he could do is not be genuine. And not back it up. The NFL has a way of humbling players, coaches and executives. Just when you think you have it figured all out, the lowly Saints beat you at home. Sirianni knows what it’s like to be knocked down a few pegs. But to paraphrase what he said to the sideline official who questioned him running all the way down the sideline to call timeout on a fake two-point conversion, he knows what the heck he’s doing. He just might want to consider not being so demonstrative in letting everyone else know.

Is it even worth wasting more time defending the defensive coordinator? The anti-Jonathan Gannon faction is unlikely to concede that he’s competent at his job, but for the open-minded maybe there’s time to jump aboard. A loss next week, of course, will rouse the haters who will go into hiding this week. But in all seriousness, what will it take to convince the talk-radio sycophants that Gannon’s defense works?

“This guy is an unbelievable coordinator,” Sirianni said. “The fact that he doesn’t get respect from [WIP-94.1-FM] blows my mind.”

Gannon did make a few mild concessions to those who think he isn’t aggressive enough, or more likely he saw a quarterback and offensive line he could exploit. He blitzed on 28.6% of Daniel Jones’ drops (10 of 35), slightly higher than normal, and Jones completed just 5 of 8 passes for 55 yards, tossed an interception and was sacked once. But the bigger adjustment Gannon made was playing man coverage more than usual — a 15% increase — vs. suspect Giants receivers.

But he didn’t change his philosophy much in terms of how he allocates his numbers in run support. He used a five-man front on only 18 of 69 plays and rarely went heavy with a 5-2. Running back Saquon Barkley and Jones’ running ability might have suggested he load the box, but Gannon trusted the superiority of his front against the Giants’ offensive line. It held Barkley to just 7 yards on four first-half carries. Jones’ lone designed run before the break netted just a yard. Forced into third-and-longs, the quarterback and his O-line couldn’t hold up against the Eagles’ pass rush. Jones was pressured on an amazing 26 of 35 drops. Hurts, by comparison, was pressured on only 4 of 26.

The anti-Gannons like to downplay his contributions by highlighting the talent of his unit. But that’s a ridiculous construct. The Eagles have comparably more skill on offense, a couple of surefire Hall of Famers, and maybe more with a few more seasons under their belts. But you never hear the same denigration of Sirianni when his unit struggles. Nevertheless, there’s something to be said for just letting your ballers ball out. Why blitz when Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat (both with 1½ sacks) and company can get to the quarterback on their own?

Gannon is still lacking a signature performance against a top-level quarterback and offense, partly because of the lack of opportunities. It’s a notable achievement missing from his resumé. Few are making the claim that he’s the next Tom Landry, although he could end up a head coach in Texas in just weeks. But it just may take Gannon leaving for some locals to appreciate the season he’s had.

» READ MORE: Eagles odds: How this year’s squad became title contenders

The Eagles came out relatively unscathed as there wasn’t a single injury report throughout the game. Guard Landon Dickerson dinged a leg but returned. Center Jason Kelce and tackle Jordan Mailata were in obvious pain at certain points but never missed plays. Tackle Lane Johnson played through a torn groin muscle and made it through. The Eagles don’t have to issue an injury report until Wednesday. … Gainwell (12 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown) had easily the best game of his career. He had some big holes to run through, but he also picked up a lot of yards after contact and allowed for Sanders to sit out most of the fourth quarter. … Jordan Davis split nose tackle snaps with starter Linval Joseph and played more overall snaps — 19 to 10 — than the veteran for the first time since he returned from injury last month. Gannon has increasingly been using Davis in other spots along the line. … Punter Brett Kern had his best game since joining the Eagles last month after Arryn Siposs went on injured reserve. He had three punts that netted an average of 44 yards and all three landed inside the 20. Siposs said 10 days ago that he had hoped to be back sometime during the postseason, but it’s not as if he was great before his ankle sprain and the Eagles may not want to disrupt chemistry.