The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Jalen Hurts leads balanced attack to put Eagles in Super Bowl LIX – ESPN
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts lit it up through the air and on the ground in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game win over the Washington Commanders, totaling 262 yards and four touchdowns to lead Philadelphia to a 55-23 victory and into Super Bowl LIX. Hurts quipped afterward that coach Nick Sirianni “let me out of my straitjacket a little bit today.” With a dominant run game led by MVP candidate Saquon Barkley, the Eagles have largely leaned conservative when it comes to the passing attack. Hurts’ 246 yards through the air against Washington marked just the second time in the past eight games he hit the 200-yard mark passing. “It’s not about me. I don’t play the game for any statistical measure,” Hurts said. “You play the game to win. I play the game to win.”

The Eagles Offense Finally Looks Super Bowl Ready – The Ringer
By expected points added, this was the most effective game Philadelphia’s passing offense has recorded since its Week 15 win over the Steelers. In that game, Hurts’s receivers did most of the heavy lifting by generating yards after the catch; they frequently took quick, underneath passes and turned them into chunk gains. Today was about Hurts in the pocket, getting back to what he does best: anticipating the one-on-one matchups for receiver A.J. Brown and attacking zone coverage by peppering the ball to DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. As soon as Washington started playing single coverage on the perimeter, the chances would be there—it was just a matter of whether Hurts could make the throws. Connecting on a 31-yard fade in the first half helped this offense relieve pressure on the scheme and its players. Philadelphia’s passing offense looked Super Bowl ready for the first time all season. What we saw on Sunday was standard practice in 2022—the last time Hurts and this offense made a run to the Super Bowl. Brown bullied Washington’s corners for 96 yards on his eight targets, as the Eagles hunted for big gains against man coverage. Smith and Goedert combined for 130 receiving yards on 11 targets, working into open spaces in the underneath and intermediate areas against soft, high zone coverages.

Eagles blow out Commanders to advance to Super Bowl LIX, 55 to 23 – BGN
Jalen Hurts easily turned in his best performance of this postseason. His final stat line: 20/28, 246 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 110.1 passer rating … 10 carries, 16 yards, 3 TD, zero turnovers. This is exactly why there’s talk about a desire for the passing game to look better! The offense looks pretty awesome when it’s clicking! Great game by QB1.

Roob’s Observations: Old-fashioned beatdown of Commanders sends Eagles to Super Bowl – NBCSP
3. So much for that knee injury. Jalen Hurts was terrific Sunday. Sharp delivering the football, moved around well with the brace on his knees, drove the ball down the field and once again didn’t turn the ball over and this was just an overall excellent performance by Hurts in his eighth career playoff game. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards and a 110.1 passer rating with one TD pass, three rushing TDs and no turnovers, and he’s now thrown 206 consecutive postseason passes without an interception, only nine shy of Drew Brees’ NFL record. Hurts has been efficient of late but he was more than efficient Sunday. He was aggressively efficient. The Eagles have been winning with this formula of Saquon and defense and a minimal role for the quarterback, and it’s been a while since they won because Hurts was outstanding, but in the biggest game of the year so far, he showed that he’s still an elite quarterback, and now at 26 years old he’s on his way to his second Super Bowl, something only Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes have done before their 27th birthdays. The Eagles needed Hurts to be great Sunday and he sure was.

Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Commanders NFC Championship Game – PhillyVoice
1) The ‘But the QB…’ Award : Jalen Hurts. In the analysis (mine included) leading up this matchup, the common sentiment was that the Eagles had the better offensive line, the better defensive line, the better skill position players, the better secondary, the better this, the better that… But the quarterback … Well, the the Eagles had the better quarterback on Sunday, too, as Jalen Hurts completed 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards, 1 TD, and as usual, 0 INTs. He also rushed for 3 TDs, and had a fourth called back due to a penalty. Meanwhile, rookie phenom Jayden Daniels completed 29 of 48 passes for 255 yards, a TD, and an INT. He made a few plays with his legs, but was mostly bottled up. Even in a win in an NFC Championship Game, Hurts provided a quote that is certain to be discussed at length for the next two weeks (and probably beyond). The Eagles are never boring.

Nick Sirianni on Jalen Hurts: All he does is win – PFT
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’s condition for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game was monitored all week because of a left knee injury, but Hurts was in the lineup against the Commanders and he played without showing any sign of an injury. Hurts ran for three touchdowns while completing 20-of-28 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ 55-23 win. That sends Hurts to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons and it provided an opportunity for head coach Nick Sirianni to defend his quarterback against the criticisms that he has faced since the 2023 season went sour. “How about our quarterback? He’s a stud,” Sirianni said on Fox after the game. “I knew he was going to play that way. I knew it. Don’t doubt him. All he does is win.”

Eagles Going Bowling – Iggles Blitz
Let’s go back to the offense. The Eagles OL played a big part in this win, but it wasn’t easy. Cam Jurgens back wasn’t ideal so the team had him active, but he didn’t start. Landon Dickerson played center in the first half. Dickerson hurt his knee and was really struggling to move around. Jurgens took over in the second half and battled his way through the rest of the game. Tyler Steen got the start at LG. The OL helped the offense to have success by winning the line of scrimmage. We have to give rookie Will Shipley some love. He made a huge play on kickoff coverage by knocking the ball out and getting it back for the offense. He had a 35-yard KOR as well. Shipley got to play RB late. He broke off a 59-yard run and later scored a TD. Finally we have to talk about Nick Sirianni. His message has been the same all year, getting his team to focus on the game at hand and not worrying about anything else. The Eagles weren’t in awe of the situation. They played Eagles football and won the game. Sirianni made some aggressive choices, knowing his team would need to score points. He set the right tone and his players delivered in a big way. The Eagles will take on the Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch in two weeks. Get healthy and get ready for Mr Mahomes and company.

NFL Conference Championship Game Recap: Philadelphia Eagles 55, Washington Commanders 23 – PFF
PLAYER OF THE GAME. “Coop” chants rang out often at Lincoln Financial Field, prompted by rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean. He finished the game with two forced incompletions and just 9 yards allowed on four targets into his coverage. He also contributed an assisted tackle in run defense and earned a career-high 88.7 PFF overall grade, pending final reviews.

Commanders-Eagles on Championship Sunday: What We Learned in Philadelphia’s 55-23 win – NFL.com
Saquon Barkley , Eagles run away from Washington and into Super Bowl. The season of Saquon continues. It took a single snap from scrimmage for Barkley to put his stamp on the NFC Championship Game. The running back took a pitch, zoomed to the edge, raced downfield, spun out of tackles, and weaved his way 60 yards to pay dirt. The race was on. Barkley petrified the Commanders defense, averaging 7.9 yards per tote. The back generated 118 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries. It wasn’t just his totes that made a difference. The attention paid to Barkley helped open the entire offense. Philly had its most balanced performance in weeks. Jalen Hurts scored with his legs and made plays down the field when needed. Looking fine on a banged-up knee, Hurts equaled Barkley’s three rushing TDs, and the 246 yards passing were his best output since Week 14. Hurts repeatedly made the right reads and dropped dimes when needed. On a massive fourth-and-5 in the first half, with the Commanders threatening to keep it close, the QB put a deep shot to A.J. Brown on the money. It was an onions throw for the QB. The Eagles made Washington pay for every turnover and miscue, gobbling up touchdowns like cheesesteaks. Philly’s 55 points were the second-most in a playoff game in club history — behind 58 in the 1995 Wild Card Round — and the most ever by any team in a conference title game. When the run and pass are married as they were Sunday, and they avoid turnovers, the Eagles offense is a steamrolling force. They’re rolling right to New Orleans where they will face the Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII.

Gillie Da Kid, cigar smoke, confetti: Inside the Eagles’ locker room party after the NFC Championship game — and the immediate focus on the Super Bowl – PHLY
Gillie Da Kid danced in a circle with Eagles surrounding him wearing green whistles around their necks while “Blow the Whistle” percolated on the speakers above him. You could follow the traces of confetti to find the path to this party, or you could just sniff for the cigar smoke. In the back corner, Jalen Hurts lit a victory cigar in the locker room for the first time in two years. Players posed for pictures with the NFC Championship trophy following a convincing 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders. It was a well-earned celebration after one of the highest-scoring outputs in NFL postseason history, and no one was going to ask them to turn the music down. Remember last week when Hurts told Saquon Barkley they had one more win to go, and Barkley answered two more? That was felt in the locker room, too. Getting to the Super Bowl is one thing. Winning is another. “It don’t matter if you don’t win it. That’s just the reality of it,” said Barkley, who started the scoring with a 60-yard touchdown run on the offense’s first play. “ All the things we’ve done, and we’ve done a lot — I’m trying not to curse this time — but you know what I mean, and the most special thing you can do is win the Super Bowl. I wasn’t here two years ago, but I bought into this culture, I bought into this organization. I know how those guys felt. I’ll make sure I do everything in my capability so the same thing won’t happen again.”

Unheralded Eagles rookie Will Shipley makes a ‘difference’ with forced fumble and first career TD – Inquirer
WILL!” Jalyx Hunt shouted from across the Eagles’ locker room, holding the NFC championship trophy. Rookie running back Will Shipley had just played the best game of his young NFL career, forcing a fumble on special teams and scoring his first NFL touchdown in relief of Saquon Barkley during the Eagles’ 55-23 win over Washington. “He was hooping!” Hunt said. Before this year, Shipley had never played on special teams before except as a returner. After Sunday’s game, he was more excited about his forced fumble than about his touchdown.

On Location and the Eagles launch Official Super Bowl LIX Fan Ticket Packages – PE.com
The Philadelphia Eagles and On Location, the Official Hospitality Provider of the National Football League, launched official Super Bowl LIX ticket packages for Eagles fans following the team’s NFC Championship victory. Fans can visit www.OnLocationExp.com/Eagles to purchase packages and join the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans Super Bowl weekend for an unforgettable experience.

3 takeaways from the Chiefs’ 32-29 win over the Bills in the AFC Championship – Arrowhead Pride
The defense struggled at times but stood tall in the end (twice) — but what looms ahead may be its greatest challenge yet. Kansas City’s defense had a nice start to the game before falling apart a bit at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third. Suddenly, the lead was gone. As the Bills drove with a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, it truly felt like it was finally their time. But on fourth-and-1, in a position where Allen has succeeded all season, linebacker Nick Bolton came up and stopped him in his tracks. That could have very well shifted the course of NFL history. Buffalo would manage to tie the game once again, but after giving up 29 points, the Chiefs needed to dig down for one more stop. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up a look to confuse Allen, and defensive end George Karlaftis’ motor shined once again. Kansas City will celebrate on Sunday night, but there is much for Spagnuolo to address. There were lapses in coverage throughout the contest — and James Cook’s second-half outburst is concerning, considering the receiving corps (and running back) the defense will face next. Of course, Kansas City now has two weeks to get back to the drawing board.

Are the Chiefs inevitable enough to pull off NFL history’s first Super Bowl 3-peat vs. Eagles? – SB Nation
Consider the last instances in which three consecutive titles were won in the other major American sports leagues: NBA: 2000-2002 (Los Angeles Lakers), MLB: 1998-2000 (New York Yankees), NHL: 1980-1983 (New York Islanders). There have been instances in each league of a team winning back-to-back titles since then, but none of a team winning three straight. Basically, the Chiefs can do something that has not only never been done in NFL history, but that hasn’t been done in modern American sports history at large in over 20 years. We have obviously known all of this from the moment that the Chiefs lifted the Lombardi last February. It all comes down to Sunday, Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Get ready.

Game Recap: NFC Championship game – Commanders fumble the game away; Eagles win in a rout 55-23 – Hogs Haven
Three forced fumbles doomed the Commanders; Eagles score 7 rushing touchdowns.

Dallas Cowboys fans will likely be rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX – Blogging The Boys
If you were rooting against the NFC East teams in each of these games, as you should have been, then you are an even .500 to date. It is time for the proverbial rubber match, so to speak. I’ve long held the belief that there is no wrong way to be a fan and therefore what you choose to do and how you choose to root is ultimately up to you. Maybe you have a reason for rooting for an NFC East team in the past or the Eagles in the present. Everyone’s fan journey is different. But as far as my two cents are concerned there is absolutely no world in which I want to see any NFC East team win it all. Funny enough, odds are you have rooted for the Chiefs in each of their three Super Bowl victories to date as they have faced the San Francisco 49ers twice and obviously the Eagles once. If they are victorious again, for what would be a historic three straight titles, they will have won all four of their championships against San Francisco and Philadelphia. Go Chiefs.

New York Giants ‘spent significant time’ with Shedeur Sanders at East-West Shrine Bowl – Big Blue View
The New York Giants, including head coach Brian Daboll, “spent significant time” with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders on Friday at the East-West Shrine Bowl. The Giants, of course, are in the market for a quarterback. Sanders and Cam Ward of Miami are both potential options with the Giants having the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Giants GM Joe Schoen has often talked about the importance of getting around draft prospects at this time of year. The Giants invested a significant amount of time getting to know and understand Malik Nabers before drafting him No. 6 overall last year. Schoen said in 2022 that time spent with Kayvon Thibodeaux was a significant part of the decision to select him No. 5 overall that year.

2025 Saints head coach hiring process rumors, news, interviews tracker – Canal Street Chronicles
MONDAY, JAN 27th: Saints plan to meet with Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore in-person.