The phrase “Jalen Hurts is the MVP” started trending on Twitter on Sunday. You’d suppose that might be excellent news for the Philadelphia Eagles, however it was Gardner Minshew who occurred to be beginning that afternoon. As an alternative of clinching the highest general seed with a win, the Eagles misplaced to the New Orleans Saints 20-10, thanks in no small half to uneven quarterback play.
The one constructive to return out of the loss for Philadelphia is that Hurts’s inventory is now greater than ever. It’s not that it was essentially undervalued earlier than, after all. All through this season, Hurts has formally made the leap to one of many recreation’s elites. He has handed for 22 touchdowns – and three,472 yards – whereas speeding for 13, and that’s whereas lacking two video games.
But, one of many important knocks on Hurts’s MVP case was the concept that he was a “system quarterback” benefitting from the gifted group the Eagles have surrounded him with. This isn’t unfaithful in that if Hurts had been enjoying with the identical roster that Justin Fields has in Chicago, his document at quarterback – he’s presently 25-18-1 – would look radically totally different.
Nevertheless, it’s clear that this can be a totally different Eagles group with out him. With Hurts nursing an ailing shoulder, Philadelphia has turned to the skilled backup Minshew for the final two video games, dropping each of them. It’s not unattainable that this has improved Hurts’s MVP odds: he has confirmed his worth in absentia.
Right here’s the difficulty: the Eagles have the document of a world-beater, however these final two video games have proven that Hurts is perhaps the x-factor that might make them favorites to succeed in the Tremendous Bowl. So, if Hurts isn’t 100% by the point he returns, that makes their path to a title a lot rockier.
Ideally, the Eagles would have had the luxurious of sitting Hurts in a meaningless recreation subsequent week. As an alternative, the highest general seed within the NFC can be on the road towards the New York Giants in Week 18. Would the Eagles actually need to roll the cube and play the largely ineffective Minshew once more if Hurts isn’t fairly prepared? Given the proof at hand, it appears like Philly can be hoping their MVP candidate is sweet to go.
MVP of the week
Jarrett Stidham, QB, Las Vegas Raiders. Week 17 was a day for fantasy soccer championships in lots of leagues, which made the day’s high performers extra impactful than most weeks. Typically, matchups come all the way down to essentially the most unlikely gamers. Take the curious case of Jarrett Stidham, who solely began on Sunday towards the San Francisco 49ers as a result of the Raiders successfully exiled Derek Carr.
If you happen to occurred to have began Stidham—or receiver Davante Adams, who caught two of his three touchdowns—it’s very attainable that it wrapped up a league victory on your imaginary group. The previous New England Patriots backup went 23-for-34 and threw for 365 yards (an acceptable New 12 months’s quantity) in his first profession begin.
However, alas, fantasy success doesn’t at all times beget real-life fortune. Whereas the Raiders had been preventing to maintain their playoff hopes alive, they had been solely capable of preserve them afloat till time beyond regulation, when a Stidham interception led to the 49ers’ discipline objective which formally ended their season. I assume there’s no successful a mojo battle towards Brock Purdy at this level of the season, however Stidham at the very least advised what soccer in Las Vegas would possibly appear like after Carr’s inevitable exit.
Video of the week
New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux’s snow angel celebration after sacking Indianapolis Colts quarterback Nick Foles appeared innocent in isolation. Nevertheless, it seemed to be wildly inappropriate after Foles was carted off the sphere with a rib harm, resulting in an issue that barely overshadowed the Giants returning to the playoffs for the primary time since 2016.
After the 38-10 Giants win, Thibodeaux stated that he was unaware of Foles’s harm. “After a sack, you have a good time,” he advised the media. “I feel once I did understand he was damage, that’s once we began getting up. … I hope he will get properly, and I hope he’s all proper.” We’ll see if that rationalization is accepted across the league or whether or not this turns into a visible picture that comes again to hang-out the gifted rookie.
Stat of the week
5,000. For the second straight 12 months, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has thrown for five,000 passing yards in a season. Solely Tom Brady and Drew Brees have thrown for at the very least that many yards in a number of campaigns, which sounds precisely like the corporate you’d anticipate him to have.
Mahomes’s three-touchdown recreation helped Kansas Metropolis pull off a fourth-quarter comeback victory over the Denver Broncos. The 27-24 win leads us to our bonus stat of the week: it was the fifteenth straight event that the Chiefs defeated the Broncos. At this level, it’s secure to say that considered one of these groups has the others’ quantity.
Quote of the week
“We could possibly be eradicated?” – Washington Commanders’ head coach Ron Rivera, after being advised that his group’s postseason hopes had been on skinny ice following their 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
It’s not fully positive if Rivera was being critical after a three-interception recreation from Carson Wentz in a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Sure, his group could possibly be eradicated with a Inexperienced Bay Packers victory over the Minnesota Vikings and, as a matter of truth, they had been. The Packers beat the Vikings 41-17 to maintain their very own postseason hopes alive.
Hear, the playoff image can get complicated this late within the NFL season, notably with so many wild-card berths in play. Nonetheless, holding monitor of all of the potential potentialities is form of a significant a part of being an NFL head coach. If Rivera had been joking, it most likely was a poorly timed second of deadpan sarcasm. If he wasn’t, he most likely ought to have simply pretended that he was.
Elsewhere across the league
Tom Brady had at the very least yet another comeback win left in him on Sunday. The Carolina Panthers had been eradicated on Sunday after they couldn’t maintain on to a 14-0 lead towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and as a substitute misplaced 30-24. With the win, the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South with their fairly modest 8-8 document as a result of, properly, somebody needed to.
Regardless of every thing, together with back-to-back embarrassing endings in regrettable losses, the New England Patriots got here into Sunday nonetheless alive within the playoff hunt. They even lucked out in that they had been enjoying at house towards a Miami Dolphins group beginning Teddy Bridgewater and never Tua Tagovailoa. The Patriots managed to take a 17-14 lead on a Kyle Dugger pick-six after which simply barely maintain on for a 23-21 victory. Now comes essentially the most troublesome half: making the playoffs would require a street win over a Buffalo Payments group that also seems to be just like the cream of the AFC.
It’s not a lot of an opportunity for New England, however at the very least they aren’t the New York Jets. The Jets’ dark-horse playoff hopes got here to an finish with a 23-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Nonetheless, the truth that their hopes had been alive this late within the common season most likely bodes properly for the franchise’s future.
For some cause, the Chicago Bears stored quarterback Justin Fields into the whole thing of their 41-10 loss to the Detroit Lions, regardless of the group being clearly overmatched your complete time. With Fields clearly established as the way forward for the franchise, it was a dangerous transfer to maintain him in a recreation the Bears had been higher off dropping. Because it seems, the defeat dropped Chicago’s document to 3-13, making certain that the group can be choosing someplace close to the highest of this 12 months’s draft. The 8-8 Lions, in distinction, most likely want to nonetheless be enjoying significant soccer this late within the season.
Talking of the 2023 NFL draft, the 2-13-1 Houston Texans have that high general choose almost wrapped up after a 31-3 loss towards the instantly unbeatable Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars can nonetheless make the postseason, however it all depends upon subsequent week’s win-and-in recreation towards the Tennessee Titans for the AFC South title. I wouldn’t wager towards them.
