Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
Sometimes it is pretty easy to beat the same team three times in a season.
Unlike last season, we will have both top seeds playing on conference championship weekend.
The Philadelphia Eagles raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead on the New York Giants and never looked back on their way to a 38-7 victory in the NFC Divisional Round. It’s Philly’s third win of the season over their NFC East rivals (never trailing in any of their matchups), and this one sends them to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since their Super Bowl-winning 2017 season.
There were pre-game question marks about the health of quarterback Jalen Hurts’ sprained throwing shoulder, but his very first pass of the evening largely erased those concerns.
Hurts didn’t need to do much through the air, completing 16/24 passes for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns to DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. Facing the worst run defense by DVOA, the Eagles’ top rushing attack had a field day. Giant-slayer Boston Scott rushed for a touchdown, Hurts added one of his own, Kenneth Gainwell scored late as part of a career-best 112-yard day, and the Eagles as a team gashed New York for 268 yards on the ground.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was unable to replicate his outstanding performance against the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round, going just 15/27 for 135 yards and an interception. The vaunted Eagles defensive front harassed and sacked Jones five times, while the secondary locked down the New York receivers all evening. An otherwise unexpectedly bright year for Brian Daboll and company ends with their heaviest defeat of the entire season.
As the top seed, the Eagles will be hosting the winner of Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys–San Francisco 49ers game. San Francisco has yet to play the Eagles this season, whereas the Cowboys split the season series with Philly, but in both instances the losing team was playing its backup quarterback.
Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni is one win away from following his predecessor Doug Pederson’s footsteps by reaching the Super Bowl in just his second season as Eagles head coach.
