After a scary end to Week 17, the 2022 NFL season is nearly over.
Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition but is showing improvement.
While it is tough to think about sports at a time like this, playoff-bound teams will continue to prepare for the postseason.
One of those teams is the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia appeared to be a lock for the top overall seed just two weeks ago, but now needs a win in Week 18 to secure the first-round bye.
The Eagles are now in a much more precarious position after steamrolling their way to a 13-1 start.
Eagles Need Hurts Healthy
Getting Jalen Hurts healthy should be the top priority for the Eagles heading into the postseason.
.@EmmanuelAcho: Jalen Hurts should be a ‘break glass if needed’ player this weekend. A healthy Jalen Hurts is more important than a No. 1 seed. pic.twitter.com/htnxisd9Qk
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) January 4, 2023
Hurts was playing at an MVP level prior to getting injured in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears.
The Eagles’ quarterback led the team to a 13-1 start, passing for 3,472 yards and 22 touchdowns on 67.3% accuracy with only 5 interceptions.
He also contributed on the ground, rushing for 747 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Hurts’ rushing ability is nothing new, but his improvements as a passer were eye-opening.
Philadelphia is 0-2 since Hurts got injured.
They lost a shootout in Dallas 40-34 before laying an egg offensively at home against the Saints in a 20-10 loss.
Any hopes of another Super Bowl run in Philadelphia rest squarely on Hurts’ shoulders.
The Offense Needs to Get Back on Track
This one comes with an asterisk with the starting quarterback out, but the offense has sputtered a bit over the past three weeks.
Nick Sirianni and the Eagles have committed eight turnovers over the past three games after committing just 10 turnovers through the first 13 games.
Philadelphia still put up 25 points against Chicago and 34 points against the Cowboys.
But the offense did not seem to flow as smoothly as it had been, and they turned the ball over seven times total.
The Philadelphia Eagles trail the New Orleans Saints 13-0 at halftime.
This is the first time this season that the Eagles have been shutout in a 1st half. Entering Week 17, the Eagles averaged 19 points per game in the 1st half this season, most in the league. pic.twitter.com/jlbCYYJ8Jh
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 1, 2023
Philadelphia also had trouble getting the ground game going.
They have a top-five rushing attack on the season, averaging 148 rushing yards per game on 4.7 yards per attempt.
Against Chicago, they ran for 112 yards on 3.39 yards per attempt.
Against Dallas, they ran for 87 yards on 3 yards per attempt.
And against New Orleans, they ran for 67 yards on 4.47 yards per attempt.
Getting Hurts back will surely help things offensively.
But the offense needs to return to its top-five form come playoff time.
