Eagles-Giants: Storylines to watch in divisional round
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- For the first time in the Nick Sirianni era, the Eagles will host a home playoff game. They'll take on the New York Giants Saturday at 8:15 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
The Eagles swept the Giants in both of their games this season, but they went 1-1 against the spread.
Here are five storylines to watch entering the game:
Which Jalen Hurts will the Eagles get?
All eyes will be on Hurts when he takes the field in his second career playoff game against the Giants at the Linc. The Eagles' chances of making a Super Bowl run largely depend on which Hurts hits the field.
Hurts returned from a shoulder injury in Week 18 against the Giants to help the Eagles secure the No. 1 seed and the NFC East after missing two games.
But, Hurts clearly wasn't himself during the game. He looked rusty and was reluctant to use his legs in the regular season finale, which makes sense. He hadn't played in the previous two games, and he was trying to save himself for the postseason.
But, the Eagles need the version of Hurts we saw carve-up defenders with his legs all year if they want to make a run.
Saturday will be just over a month since Hurts suffered the shoulder sprain against the Chicago Bears in Week 15.
Hurts should be closer to 100% by kickoff against the Giants, but he was "hurting bad" after the regular season finale and told reporters that the bye week was huge for his recovery.
How will Lane Johnson look vs. Giants?
Staying on the theme of health, Johnson is expected to return against the Giants after he suffered a torn adductor against the Dallas Cowboys.
Johnson put off surgery after missing the final two games of the regular season to return for the playoffs. Jack Driscoll filled in for him at right tackle while he missed time.
Johnson returned to practice for the first time last week and told reporters he'd rather deal with the adductor injury than the ankle injury he dealt with a couple of years ago.
Can Boston Scott continue to be a Giants killer?
The Eagles have plenty of weapons on their team. They have A.J. Brown, a second-team All-Pro wideout. DeVonta Smith is pretty close to Brown's tier as well. They also have Miles Sanders, a 1,000-yard rusher, and Dallas Goedert -- one of the best tight ends in the league.
But, they have a 5-foot-6 inch, 203-pound secret weapon that kills the Giants, and his name is Boston Scott.
In eight games against the Giants, Scott has 414 rushing yards on 86 carries and 10 touchdowns.
Two of Scott's three touchdowns this season have come against the Giants. He scored once in both games against New York this season.
Will that continue in the divisional round? Time will tell.
Jonathan Gannon vs. the Giants' offense
Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is a popular name during this head coaching cycle, and interested teams will most likely be tuned in on Saturday night.
Historically, Gannon's defenses have done well against teams with quarterbacks like Daniel Jones.
But, Giants head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have had Jones and the offense clicking as of late.
In New York's 31-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Jones played phenomenally.
Jones completed 24 of his 35 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns. He also recorded 78 yards on the ground on 17 carries.
In Jones' final five games of the regular season -- from Week 13 to Week 17 -- he had a 72.4% completion percentage, which ranked better than quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes, according to The 33rd Team. Jones also had five touchdown passes compared to one interception and rushed for 257 yards for three scores.
The Giants don't have many weapons outside Saquon Barkley, but Daboll and Kafka have found ways to be successful with Jones running the show, which could cause issues for Gannon's defense.
James Bradberry gets third crack at former team
Bradberry has already played two games this season against the Giants, his former team that released him for salary cap purposes last year.
Bradberry wasn't happy with how the release went down and told reporters he got over it eventually as he formed one of the best cornerback duos in the league alongside Darius Slay.
In the two games against the Giants, Bradberry was exceptional in coverage, according to CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr.
The Giants could've very well used Bradberry's this year at cornerback. After being released, Bradberry earned second-team All-Pro honors and is likely to get a big payday next offseason.
Could you imagine the party inside Lincoln Financial Field if Bradberry has a big play like a pick-6 against the Giants?
