3 positive takeaways from the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 17 win

Jalen Hurts brought down FedExField, literally.

After a slow start to the season that saw the second-year quarterback secure inflated stat lines in garbage time, Jalen Hurts put the cherry on top of his 2021 campaign with a commanding showing against Washington in Week 17, securing his second win of the season over the Football Team.

His numbers? They weren’t fantastic. Hurts was outgained by Taylor Heinicke by 33 yards and failed to surpass 300 passing yards for the 11th straight game, but when the game was on the line, Nick Sirianni put the ball in his quarterback’s hands, and 65.4 percent of the time, he connected.

While QB1 didn’t record any sensationally long passes and was kept out of the endzone as both a passer and a runner, Hurts found a way to get five of his receivers involved, a number that could have ballooned to seven had Jordan Howard and Jalen Reagor made good on their targets. Hurts looked good under pressure, avoided multiple potential sacks, and even picked up 44 yards on the ground, his biggest total since Week 12.

With a chance to get back into the game on fourth-and-1, Hurts pitched out the ball for an easy touchdown to Boston Scott, and when the game was on the line, the second-year quarterback led a pair of long drives that led to Jake Elliott field goals.

And the best part? When the game was over and Hurts was making his way to the locker room, the end cap of FedExField’s bleachers collapsed, and he was nearly sacked again by overly excited Eagles fans.

A win is a win, but honestly, I can’t think of a better way for the Philadelphia Eagles to clinch a playoff berth than that moment right there, with the lone exception being if it happened at Lincoln Financial Field.