PHILADELPHIA − Perhaps one day after this season is over we’ll know exactly how much pain Jalen Hurts was in with his shoulder, or how right tackle Lane Johnson managed to play through a torn adductor muscle in his groin area.
But that time is not here yet, and it might not be until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 12.
That’s because Hurts, Johnson and the rest of the Eagles dominated the Giants in beating them 38-7 in an NFC Divisional Round playoff game Saturday night.
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But the Eagles didn’t just do this on talent. They did it with their toughness and their determination, and they did it because, as Hurts put it, they were “starving” for it.
And it’s why a festive crowd that began partying 12 hours before the game − buying tickets to an indoor lacrosse game so they could get access to the parking lot − kept on celebrating throughout the 38-7 win in the NFC Divisional Round game.
For now, all we’re getting from Hurts is the “good enough” answer about how his shoulder was feeling during the game.
Don’t mistake that for meaning his shoulder is healed. It’s not.
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But it’s the playoffs, and Hurts wasn’t holding back. So Hurts was a threat throwing the ball because he had to be, completing 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. And he was a threat running the ball with 34 yards on 9 carries, taking some brutal hits in the process, because he had to be.
And that opened up the running game as the Eagles rushed for 268 yards, coming six yards short of the franchise record for rushing yards in a playoff game, set in the 1949 NFL championship game.
“Regardless of how I was feeling physically, and how I feel physically, mentally I was already there,” Hurts said about not worrying about taking a hit on his shoulder.
As if there was any doubt. Hurts showed on the second play of the game that he was going to throw deep, hitting DeVonta Smith for 40 yards down to the Giants’ 33, setting up the first touchdown. And he showed early on that he was going to run, gaining 9 yards down to the Giants’ 8, setting up the second touchdown.
Johnson, meanwhile, was his usual dominating self on the right side. He has gone more than 2 years without allowing a sack, and Kayvon Thibodeaux or whoever was lined up opposite him was not coming close to ending that streak.
But really, this is mentality that Hurts had set even before the game.
“Jalen said it best that you have to be hungry for this,” tight end Dallas Goedert said. “He said he was starving for this (stuff). With everyone in the locker room, he sets the tone and we follow along. Whatever he says goes. He is the leader of this place. He had it in him so we all follow suit.”
Added Eagles coach Nick Sirianni: “I know this is high praise, and … I shouldn’t even go there, (but) it’s like having Michael Jordan out there. He’s your leader. He’s your guy.
“This guy leads. He brings this calmness to the entire team. He plays great football. He’s as tough as they come.”
The entire team feeds off that.
On the play after Smith’s 40-yard reception, Goedert caught a short pass from Hurts, then laid a vicious stiff-arm on Adoree Jackson for some extra yards.
Later, Goedert ran over a Giant defender after a reception. For Goedert, that’s a dream scenario. NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt, on “Good Morning Football,” ranks what he calls the “Angry Run” of the week.
“I always want to be on that,” Goedert said. “Every time I touch the ball, I want to get on that clip. I want to punish whoever’s trying to tackle me. I want to do all that.”
There was so much more. Miles Sanders punished the Giants on runs up the middle early, finishing with 90 yards, and Kenny Gainwell did it late. Gainwell had a 35-yard TD run and a key 3rd-and-12 run in the fourth quarter where the 5-foot-9, 200-pounder bowled over a few defenders to get the first down.
Gainwell finished with a career-high 112 yards.
But it all starts with Hurts, and also Johnson.
Johnson needs surgery on his torn adductor muscle, which he initially suffered Dec. 11 in the first meeting against the Giants. When it recurred Dec. 24 against the Cowboys, Johnson decided to put off surgery, opting for rest and rehab so he could play in the playoffs.
Johnson didn’t make himself available to reporters after the game. But left tackle Jordan Mailata has seen what Johnson has gone through these past four weeks in order to play Saturday night.
“A machine,” Mailata said. “He’s built differently, man … It’s crazy what he did. His heart, his determination to get back there for the boys. Just get on the field and give it everything he has.
“A lot of sacrifices, man … He worked his ass off to get back. Him and Jalen, they were in the same boat. They were chipping away, trying to get back for us. They did, man. And it means a lot.”
Still, you hold your breath every time Hurts takes a hit, or by wondering if Johnson can get through a play despite the intense pain he must be feeling.
Mailata certainly does.
There was one play where Mailata said he blocked Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux right into Hurts.
“We were running a screen,” Mailata said. “I was kind of scared because I was trying to push Thibodeaux upfield, and I pushed him right into Jalen, and I was like, ‘Aw, (expletive), what am I doing?’ So I ran up the sideline to Jalen and I’m like, ‘Hey, are you ok?’ And he’s like, ‘I’m fine.’
“I’m always cognizant, especially when he’s not 100%.”
In the third quarter, Hurts was hit by defensive back Xavier McKinney just as he was beginning his throwing motion. The ball came out and Hurts dove on top of it as a Giants defender then landed on top of Hurts.
Mailata rushed over to Hurts and picked him up, worried that he was hurt.
“He said, ‘I’m OK,’ and I’m like, ‘Good,’ Mailata said.
By then the tone had been set. The Eagles were “starving” for this opportunity, and Hurts made sure they played that way.
“I love the fact that that’s the mentality of this team,” Hurts said. “I love the fact that we’re starving, that we’re not just hungry for it, that we’re starving for it … I think that’s a beautiful thing about it, and we just want to continue to do that.”
Perhaps there was some other motivation. A few players implied that they felt like the Giants wanted to play them a third time after the Eagles had an unimpressive 6-point win in the season finale two weeks ago.
“Sometimes you’ve got to be careful what you wish for,” Hurts said as he finished his press conference, without elaborating.
He’ll probably reveal what he meant at the same time as he reveals the true extent of his injury. But not now. There’s at least one more game to play.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
