Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley both played through injuries that were more of a minor hassle than serious long-term problems for the Eagles.
Injuries heal, and so do bruised egos and hard feelings caused by criticism and rumors, not from fans, social media, or sports talk radio, but from within the Philadelphia locker room.
Hurts connected with wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith for touchdowns, and the Eagles put any internal issues regarding their offense to rest with a 27-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
The Eagles (12-2) won their 10th straight game, setting a franchise record. A win this weekend against Washington would secure the NFC East title for them, and they moved into a tie with Detroit for the best record in the conference.
With three games left, the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye are still within reach, and all they need to do is stay healthy.
Hurts shared that he played through a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, while Barkley, the NFL’s leading rusher, said he dealt with “a little something” against the Steelers that sent him to the medical tent.
When the Eagles are working together, injuries might be the only thing that can stop them.
“I just felt extremely locked in and focused through the entire week, through what could have been a time where people could say, ‘What’s going on over in Philadelphia?’” said coach Nick Sirianni.
Smith and Brown had both expressed frustration about the passing game after a lackluster performance the previous week against Carolina. Defensive end Brandon Graham then suggested in a radio interview that there were issues between Hurts and Brown.
After their dominant win over Pittsburgh, the Eagles acted like one big happy family in the locker room.
“Behind closed doors, we talk about that, we called each other out,” Brown said. “That’s very uncomfortable. You don’t want to feel like you’re getting attacked. We’re trying to get on the same page. We’re trying to win.”
