The Philadelphia Eagles appear as if they will have Jalen Hurts back for the final game of the regular season against the New York Giants.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that the Eagles do believe Hurts will be healthy enough to play in Week 18 as the team still looks to solidify the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye heading into the playoffs.
The Eagles, who are 13-1 with Hurts as their starter, have lost their last two games without him as he deals with a shoulder injury.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said after Sunday’s loss to the Saints that Hurts was “close this week” to playing, so his availability for this weekend should come as no surprise.
Of course, had the Eagles won one of their last two games and clinched a first-round bye, they may have had the luxury to continue to rest Hurts in order to make sure he is healthy for the playoffs.
Now, the Eagles enter the final week of the season against a Giants team that just clinched a playoff berth in a situation where they must win in order to ensure themselves the first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Eagles manhandled the Giants four weeks ago in a 48-22 rout and it is possible that the Giants decide to rest their starters since they are locked into the No. 6 seed.
The San Francisco 49ers sit behind the Eagles in the NFC standings at 12-4 and could leapfrog them with a win over the Arizona Cardinals and an Eagles loss for the No. 1 seed.
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