There is only one thing that matters right now.

The Philadelphia Eagles are NFC East champions and the top-seed in the conference.

The Eagles will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs (it would’ve been nice to wrap that up on Christmas Eve or even last week, though), but there are still things that need to be addressed.

The Eagles’ 22-16 victory over the Giants backups was not ideal. I predicted the Eagles to win 28-15, but the final score wasn’t the issue. 

Defensively, the Eagles did not have any takeaways, and they missed some would-be interceptions. The Eagles had only two sacks, which weren’t even on Davis Webb, who was making his first career start. There were chances for turnovers and more sacks. Hopefully that changes in two weeks. 

The defense did not play bad, but I expected more against backups. When the Eagles led 19-3, they allowed the Giants to score twice pretty easily. 

I just didn’t like seeing that. 

But I did like one thing— Jake Elliott.

Having a good kicker in the postseason is crucial, and he showed what he could do Sunday. He went 5 for 5, including 54- and 52-yard field goals. Seeing that is great heading into the playoffs. You’re not going to blow out teams in the playoffs, and the opposition’s defense will definitely hold you to field goals. Again, great watching Elliott look unfazed in the moments when the offense couldn’t score.

That brings me to my next point. 

Only one touchdown against backup defenders? Not good! Just not good enough. It was fantastic to see Jalen Hurts back out there, and he made some great throws. Luckily, Hurts did not run much (good job by the coaching staff). Hurts did look a little rusty, but that was expected after a two-week layoff. Getting Hurts some live game action was huge, and he will bounce back come the divisional round.

Still, it’s not the points they scored that bothered me (again, I predicted 28-15). Rather, it was the lack of not scoring touchdowns against backups. 

It was great to see Chauncey Gardner-Johnson return. He had seven tackles Sunday. Having him is huge for the playoffs. Hopefully, Lane Johnson will return in a couple weeks. Hurts was sacked three times in the game, and there is no doubt that side of the line is weaker without him. Also, if Avonte Maddox can return for the playoffs, that would be another huge asset. Same with Josh Sweat, but only time will tell.

That’s why this bye week is very important. It gives the players a chance to rest and heal up. It gives the team time to clean up some areas that have not been great the last few weeks. Not every team gets this chance. The Eagles did what they had to do Sunday— win.

It took them a few extra games to do that, but that’s water under the bridge! The Eagles are the top-seed, and now we await to see how they will face. 

Of Note: AJ Brown broke the single-season record for receiving yards Sunday. The record was previously held by Mike Quick, who had 1,409 yards in 1983. Brown’s 1,496 is also the most in his career.

Hurts became the second quarterback in NFL history to win 14 games in a season before his 25th birthday. The other was Dan Marino. He finished the season 14-1 in 15 starts. The only other QBs to do that were Joe Montana, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.