All Birds On Deck

PHILADELPHIA – Amid unseasonably warm conditions for early January, the Eagles held their final practice of the week ahead of Sunday’s Wild Card clash with the San Francisco 49ers. The team’s largely clean bill of health improved to perfect practice attendance, with all 53 players participating in some capacity.

That includes Landon Dickerson (rest), who missed Thursday, and versatile OL Brett Toth (concussion), who’d been sidelined Wednesday and Thursday as he worked his way through concussion protocol.

Stalwart RT Lane Johnson (foot) practiced every day this week. He was listed as limited the first two practices this week. The final injury report, released later this afternoon, will determine his practice capacity on Day 3 of his return.

Again, it’s quite rare for a team to be this healthy this late in the season, but this postseason trend doesn’t occur by happenstance. Credit the team trainers and doctors for their influencing in player health and optimization, but Nick Sirianni and his staff deserve a nod here as well. Sirianni knows his team well and takes something away from each season, allowing him to press the right buttons when it comes to structuring practices, among other things.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: The Eagles held their final practice of the week in preparation for Sunday’s NFC WIld Card game vs. the 49ers.

Jalen Hurts draws from postseason experience

There’s something to be said when a team has a quarterback – the most important position in all of sports – who possesses an inherent knack for elevating his play when the stakes are highest and delivering in crunch time. But it’s the experience that perhaps qualifies as the most invaluable intangible when entering a win-or-go home playoff run.

This Sunday, when the Eagles host the 49ers, will be the 10th playoff game for Jalen Hurts. The sixth-year quarterback, and reigning Super Bowl MVP, owns a career postseason record of 6-3 and prepares to lead the Eagles on a path that, if all goes according to plan, takes the Eagles to Santa Clara.

Back to the experience factor, for a moment. It’s not like 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is lacking in that area, either. He will be appearing in his seventh postseason game. But the battle-tested Hurts has proven to be unflappable in high-leverage moments. He remains even keeled and poised when pressure mounts and keeps swinging, regardless of score or moment in the game. Hurts stands out for his big-game experience, which sets him apart, but it’s his experience that qualifies as the equalizer.

“I think experience is the biggest teacher,” said Hurts. “So a lot of moments, you can lean on experience in itself. So, I think just being able to reflect on that – not someone else’s opinion, but your own experience. That’s valuable.

Getting back to Hurts’ will to win, you can rest assured he will do anything to move the needle for his team – including calling his own number with his legs. It’s part of his DNA, which Hurts could barely explain, mustering only these five words in response:

 “Some things are in you.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com