Tthe word “Jalen Hurts is the MVP” started trending on Twitter on Sunday. You would assume that will be excellent information for the Philadelphia Eagles, but it surely used to be Gardner Minshew who took place to be beginning that afternoon. Instead of clinching the highest total seed with a win, the Eagles misplaced to the New Orleans Saints 20–10, thank you in no small section to asymmetric quarterback play.
The one certain to come back out of the loss for Philadelphia is that Hurts’ inventory is now upper than ever. It’s now not that it used to be essentially undervalued ahead of, in fact. Through this season, Hurts has formally made the bounce to some of the recreation’s elites. He has handed for 22 touchdowns – and three,472 yards – whilst dashing for 13, and that’s the reason whilst lacking two video games.
Yet, some of the major knocks on Hurts’s MVP case used to be the concept that he used to be a “system quarterback” profiting from the gifted staff the Eagles have surrounded him with. This isn’t unfaithful in that if Hurts have been enjoying with the similar roster that Justin Fields has in Chicago, his report at quarterback – he’s lately 25-18-1 – would glance radically other.
However, it is transparent that it is a other Eagles staff with out him. With Hurts nursing an sick shoulder, Philadelphia has grew to become to the skilled backup Minshew for the remaining two video games, shedding either one of them. It’s now not unimaginable that this has progressed Hurts’s MVP odds: he has confirmed his price in absentia.
Here’s the problem: the Eagles have the report of a world-beater, however those remaining two video games have proven that Hurts may well be the x-factor that will cause them to favorites to achieve the Super Bowl. So, if Hurts is not 100% by the point he returns, that makes their trail to a identify a lot rockier.
Ideally, the Eagles would have had the posh of sitting Hurts in a meaningless recreation subsequent week. Instead, the highest total seed within the NFC will probably be at the line towards the New York Giants in Week 18. Would the Eagles in reality need to roll the cube and play the in large part useless Minshew once more if Hurts is not moderately able? Given the proof to hand, it appears like Philly will probably be hoping their MVP candidate is excellent to head.
MVP of the week
Jarrett Stidham, QB, Las Vegas Raiders, Week 17 used to be an afternoon for delusion soccer championships in lots of leagues, which made the day’s most sensible performers extra impactful than maximum weeks. Sometimes, matchups come all the way down to probably the most not going gamers. Take the curious case of Jarrett Stidham, who best began on Sunday towards the San Francisco 49ers since the Raiders successfully exiled Derek Carr.
If you took place to have began Stidham—or receiver Davante Adams, who stuck two of his 3 touchdowns—it is very imaginable that it wrapped up a league victory in your imaginary staff. The former New England Patriots backup went 23-for-34 and threw for 365 yards (a suitable New Year’s quantity) in his first occupation get started.
But, alas, delusion good fortune does not all the time beget real-life fortune. While the Raiders have been combating to stay their playoff hopes alive, they have been best in a position to stay them afloat till extra time, when a Stidham interception ended in the 49ers’ box function which officially ended their season. I suppose there is no profitable a mojo combat towards Brock Purdy at this level of the season, however Stidham a minimum of recommended what soccer in Las Vegas would possibly appear to be after Carr’s inevitable go out.
Video of the week
New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux’s snow angel party after sacking Indianapolis Colts quarterback Nick Foles gave the impression innocuous in isolation. However, it gave the impression to be wildly beside the point after Foles used to be carted off the sector with a rib damage, resulting in an issue that rather overshadowed the Giants returning to the playoffs for the primary time since 2016.
After the 38–10 Giants win, Thibodeaux mentioned that he used to be blind to Foles’ damage. “After a sack, you celebrate,” he advised the media. “I think when I did realize he was hurt, that’s when we started getting up. … I hope he gets well, and I hope he is all right.” We’ll see if that rationalization is authorized across the league or whether or not this turns into a visible symbol that comes again to hang-out the gifted rookie.
Status of the week
5,000. For the second one immediately 12 months, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has thrown for five,000 passing yards in a season. Only Tom Brady and Drew Brees have thrown for no less than that many yards in a couple of campaigns, which sounds precisely like the corporate you’ll be expecting him to have.
Mahomes’s three-touchdown recreation helped Kansas City 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 used to be the 15th straight occasion that the Chiefs defeated the Broncos. At this level, it is protected to mention that this sort of groups has the others’ numbers.
Quote of the week
“We could be eliminated?” – Washington Commanders’ head trainer Ron Rivera, after being advised that his staff’s postseason hopes have been on skinny ice following their 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
It’s now not totally positive if Rivera used to be being severe after a three-interception recreation from Carson Wentz in a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Yes, his staff may well be eradicated with a Green Bay Packers victory over the Minnesota Vikings and, as an issue of reality, they have been. The Packers beat the Vikings 41-17 to stay their very own postseason hopes alive.
Listen, the playoff image can get complicated this past due within the NFL season, specifically with such a lot of wild-card berths in play. Still, keeping an eye on all of the possible probabilities is more or less a big a part of being an NFL head trainer. If Rivera have been joking, it used to be most probably a poorly timed second of deadpan sarcasm. If he wasn’t, he most probably will have to have simply pretended that he used to be.
Elsewhere across the league
Tom Brady had a minimum of another comeback win left in him on Sunday. The Carolina Panthers have been eradicated on Sunday once they could not dangle directly 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 moderately modest 8-8 report as a result of, smartly, any person needed to.
Despite the entirety, 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 have been enjoying at house towards a Miami Dolphins staff beginning Teddy Bridgewater and now not Tua Tagovailoa. The Patriots controlled to take a 17–14 lead on a Kyle Dugger pick-six after which simply slightly dangle on for a 23–21 victory. Now comes probably the most tough section: making the playoffs would require a highway win over a Buffalo Bills staff that also looks as if the cream of the AFC.
It’s now not a lot of a possibility for New England, however a minimum of they are not the New York Jets. The Jets’ dark-horse playoff hopes got here to an finish with a 23–6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Still, the truth that their hopes have been alive this past due within the common season most probably bodes smartly for the franchise’s long term.
For some reason why, the Chicago Bears saved quarterback Justin Fields into the whole thing in their 41–10 loss to the Detroit Lions, in spite of the staff being obviously overmatched all the time. With Fields obviously established as the way forward for the franchise, it used to be a dangerous transfer to stay him in a recreation the Bears have been shedding. As it seems, the defeat dropped Chicago’s report to a few–13, making sure that the staff could be deciding on someplace close to the highest of this 12 months’s draft. The 8-8 Lions, by contrast, most probably wish to nonetheless be enjoying significant soccer this past due within the season.