Aidan Thompson
Assistant Sports Editor
The number one seeded Philadelphia Eagles hosted fellow NFC East rival, the New York Giants, Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, where they won 38-7. The Giants, who were on a roll heading into this round after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the Wildcard round 31-24, were no match for the Eagles. During their two games this season, the Eagles won both and this playoff game was no different.
The Eagles were on fire from the beginning of the game with Jalen Hurts throwing his two touchdown passes in the first quarter: a 16 yarder to Dallas Goedert and a nine yarder to DeVonta Smith. Hurts had 154 yards on 16/24 attempts along with those two touchdowns. He added 34 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Hurts played the game at his own pace. Being up big early on let Hurts become a game manager rather than trying to dig his team out of a hole, like the Giants attempted to.
Star wideout A.J Brown was seemingly shut down during this game as game script played a factor as the Eagles were up big early. He wasn’t as much of a factor, as usual. Second year wideout DeVonta Smith continued to make his case as the best wide receiver two on any given team. He caught six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. The duo of Smith and Brown continue to impress fans and make their case for the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. Despite the Giants’ loss, their season was a complete turnaround from last due to a new head coach.
During the offseason, the New York Giants hired former Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll. Daboll took over a 4-13 Giants team who had no identity, was riddled with injuries and lacked leadership. Daboll proved all the Giants needed was a complete head coach and hard coaching. He led the Giants to 9-7-1 season and their first playoff berth since 2016. He also led them to their first playoff win since they defeated the Vikings in the wildcard round.
This Giants team bore resemblance to the Giants of old during their two superbowl wins. Quarterback Daniel Jones reminded fans of Eli Manning. The receiving corps was mediocre like the old teams. A solid defense kept the Giants in games throughout the season. Their biggest help was their star player Saquon Barkley who had a great season after missing all of last season with a couple of injuries. The Giants can dwell on this loss, but they have a bright future ahead of them, especially with Daboll coaching.
The Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship. Both championship games will be played on Sunday, Jan. 29, with the Super Bowl being Sunday, Feb. 12.
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