PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, while Dallas Goedert displayed remarkable strength with three stiff-arms on a rugged TD catch. The Philadelphia Eagles showcased their NFL-best defense in a strong 22-10 wild-card playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.
Hurts, returning from a three-week layoff following a concussion in December, threw for a modest 131 yards. He began the game on fire, hitting six consecutive completions, and sealed his return with a stunning 24-yard touchdown pass to Goedert in the third quarter, a moment that will undoubtedly become a highlight of the franchise’s postseason history.
The Eagles’ defense took control of the game, turning a recovered fumble on the opening kickoff into Hurts’ first touchdown pass just three plays later. They also intercepted Jordan Love twice in the first half. Holding a 19-10 lead in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia forced a turnover on downs when Green Bay had a fourth-and-3 situation on their own 41 with five minutes remaining.
Quinyon Mitchell’s interception of Love with 1:51 left in the game ultimately sealed the victory for the NFC East champions, who will now host a division game next week at Lincoln Financial Field.
Running back Saquon Barkley, who led the NFL in rushing this season with 2,005 yards, contributed 119 yards in his Eagles’ postseason debut, saying, ‘At the end of the day, no matter how it looks, just want to get the win.’
Barkley expressed his excitement about returning to the playoffs after a year of watching from the sidelines. ‘So I’m just happy to be here. Shoutout to my teammates and, most importantly, we move on. And we get another home game, so that is good.’
The Eagles had a game plan ready for the Packers and even had time for some light reading as wide receiver A.J. Brown flipped through the pages of ‘Inner Excellence’ by Jim Murphy while on the bench. Brown finished the game with just one catch for 10 yards.
Meanwhile, Love struggled with a sore right elbow, throwing for 212 yards, but was intercepted three times and sacked twice. ‘It just comes down to executing and making plays out there, and it just wasn’t good enough,’ he lamented.
Josh Jacobs made a noteworthy contribution for the Packers with 81 rushing yards and a score, including a dynamic 31-yard run in the third quarter that cut the Eagles’ lead to 16-10 with a one-yard touchdown following the run.
‘That was their goal to take away the run, and they did a good job of that,’ Love added, acknowledging the Eagles’ defensive prowess.
With kicker Jake Elliott needing a boost of confidence after a missed extra point, he succeeded in kicking two field goals, including a 30-yarder that extended the Eagles’ lead. Coach Nick Sirianni praised Hurts, noting, ‘Jalen did a lot of good things. Jalen is a winner. He wins. No one can argue that.’
As the public address announcer welcomed Hurts back to the lineup, the atmosphere in Philadelphia was electric, setting the stage for a thrilling playoff performance.
