PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts returned from a sprained right shoulder and threw for 229 yards in a conservative game plan, as the Philadelphia Eagles clinched first place in the NFC standings with a 22-16 victory. over the New York Giants on Sunday.
Hurts played for the first time in three weeks, and the Eagles (14-3) established themselves as a strong Super Bowl contender.
Philadelphia rebounded from two straight losses under backup quarterback Gardner Minshew to clinch the NFC East, NFC top spot and home-field advantage in the playoffs. In addition, the team will have a week off, which will sit very well on the shoulder of Hurts.
Hurts walked into the stadium wearing a Michael Jordan T-shirt with the legend “I’m back”, recalling the retirement of the former Chicago Bulls star in the NBA. He was greeted with a thunderous ovation and shouts of “MVP” as he came out of the tunnel during the introductions. The Eagles clearly missed their quarterback, who was one of the favorites to win MVP before he was injured against the Chicago Bears.
Hurts completed 20 of 35 passes in a game that felt like preseason—the Eagles went 1 for 5 in the red zone—and played the entire game. In 2017, the Eagles were also No. 1 in the standings and won the Super Bowl.
