Hurts tosses 2 TD passes and Goedert throws 3 stiff-arms to lead Eagles past Packers 22-10

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dallas Goedert first fended off a Packers defender with a stiff arm, then another with a shoulder, and finally with another blow to the face as he barreled into the end zone. In a sports town known for its toughness, Goedert showed grit, and the Philadelphia Eagles were equally unstoppable, welcoming back Jalen Hurts and overpowering the Green Bay Packers.

Hurts threw two touchdown passes in his return from a late-season concussion, and Goedert scored on a rugged catch-and-run in which he stiff-armed three defenders. The Eagles, with their league-best defense, won their wild-card playoff game 22-10 on Sunday night. Hurts threw for only 131 yards, but showed no hesitation in his return from a December concussion. He completed his first six passes and threw a 24-yard touchdown to Goedert in the third quarter, a play that will live on in the team’s playoff highlights after he pushed off Carrington Valentine for the score.

“That was a heck of a play, probably my favorite touchdown of my career,” Goedert said. “I just had to beat one guy, and I did. I don’t want to go home, I’m going to do everything I can to help this team win.” The Eagles’ defense took care of the rest. The Eagles recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and scored three plays later on a Hurts touchdown pass. The defense intercepted Jordan Love twice in the first half. Leading 19-10 in the fourth quarter, the Eagles forced a turnover on downs when Green Bay went for it on fourth-and-3 from their own 41.

Quinyon Mitchell’s interception of Love with 1:51 left sealed the win for the NFC East champions. They will host the winner of Monday night’s wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams next Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Hurts said the Eagles need to “find a rhythm earlier in the game.” “I think it’s been a little weird this year, kind of in and out, and me being out the last couple weeks,” Hurts said. “Now that I’m back, just trying to find a rhythm, and go all out, and that’s what it’s all about right now.”

Barkley, who led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards, ran for 119 yards in his Eagles playoff debut. “A year ago, I was on the couch watching the playoffs and I tweeted that I had to find my way back,” said Barkley, who spent his first six seasons with the New York Giants. “So I’m happy to be here. Thank my teammates and, most importantly, we keep moving. We get another home game, which is good.” Even the Eagles had time to relax, with wide receiver A.J. Brown seen on the sideline reading “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy. Brown had one catch for 10 yards. Love threw for 212 yards but was intercepted three times and sacked twice, his right elbow still sore from an injury in the regular-season finale against Chicago.

“They were trying to stop our run, and they did a good job of that,” Love said. “It comes down to executing and making plays out there, and we didn’t do enough of that.” Josh Jacobs ran for 81 yards and a touchdown, breaking one tackle on a 31-yard scamper in the third quarter where his jersey was pulled down to his heels by one defender, before he ran over another and dragged two helpless Eagles to the 1-yard line. Jacobs scored on the next play to cut the score to 16-10. After a penalty on Green Bay for unnecessary roughness moved the Eagles closer to scoring range, Jake Elliott kicked a 30-yard field goal to make it 19-10. Elliott missed the extra point after Goedert’s touchdown and needed the short kick to boost his confidence. Elliott, who has struggled on kicks of 50-plus yards this season, also hit a 32-yarder in the fourth quarter and a 31-yarder in the first.

The atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field was at a fever pitch from the moment the public address announcer enthusiastically declared “Welcome back to the Eagles lineup, Jalen Hurts,” to the ensuing fumble. Keisean Nixon of Green Bay had the ball knocked loose by Oren Burks, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. recovered it at the Packers 28. Hurts needed only three plays to find Jahan Dotson for an 11-yard touchdown. Darius Slay had an interception where he plucked the ball out of the air off his shoulder like a top receiver, and Pro Bowl linebacker Zack Baun added another pick for Philly. The Eagles did not score off those interceptions, but they did keep the Packers from scoring.

“They’ve got good players,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of the Eagles defense. “Even when we were going quick, they were getting down, hitting our backs multiple times. They played better than we did, that’s the reality.” Brandon McManus missed a 38-yard field goal earlier but made a 26-yarder in the third to make it 10-3. Hurts allayed any concerns about his health when he completed his first six passes (for 39 yards, including the touchdown to Dotson). He then missed on his next seven passes in the first half. He didn’t complete another pass until late in the third quarter, and then completed seven of his final eight, including the touchdown catch to Goedert.

“I don’t think we played up to our potential on offense,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Jalen did a lot of good things. Jalen’s a winner. He’s going to win. No one can deny that.” Certainly, no one was denying it in Philadelphia on Sunday night. Injuries: Packers: Lost WR Romeo Doubs (concussion) and Jayden Reed (shoulder), offensive linemen Elgton Jenkins (stinger) and Josh Myers (left leg), and several defensive players to injuries. Eagles: LB Nakobe Dean was ruled out quickly after leaving in the second quarter with a knee injury. He was seen after the game on crutches with his left leg in a brace. Up next: Packers: Season over. Eagles: Wait to determine if they play the Vikings or Rams next Sunday.