ClutchPoints
When the Philadelphia Eagles take the field against the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game, they unquestionably have home-field advantage. The game is taking place at The Linc, the stadium will be filled with Eagles fans no matter how many Commanders come into town, and considering their reputation, South Philly will show out like only South Philly can.
One way to combat that surge of energy? Play incredibly physical football for 60 minutes, with defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. taking things a step forward, noting that when Jalen Hurts leaves the pocket, his players are instructed to take him down like a running back.
Goodness, is he basically saying the Commanders are going to target Hurts even if it results in a flag or two for unnecessary roughness or late hits? Regardless, one person who doesn’t care either way is Jordan Mailata, who boldly declared during his Week 21 media session that he won’t play the Commanders’ game.
“No team reaction,” Mailata said. “That’s tactics, man. He’s trying to get us off our objective. None of that [stuff] matters. Talk is cheap. Quote me there. Talk is cheap.”
Nick Sirianni, never one to shoot down a chance to talk, had a little more to say than his left tackle, noting that while the Eagles know the Commanders are a tough team, he will make sure his quarterback is in safe situations throughout the game.
“I kind of answered this question yesterday. We understand that when he is carrying the football, they’re going to try to tackle him. But nothing changes as far as we’re very cautious with what we do. I don’t think ‘cautious’ is the right word, actually. It’s more that we’re very aware of everything. We try to put [QB] Jalen [Hurts] in safe situations. We want him to put himself in safe situations,” Sirianni told reporters.
“We understand that there are a lot of things that Jalen does in the running game that help us run the football. As we go through it, we do whatever we’ve got to do to win the game. But his safety is always at the forefront of our mind.”
Are the Commanders trying to get the Eagles’ goat, reminding Hurts of what their hard-hitting linebacker, Frankie Luvu, did during the regular season? Decidedly so. But there’s a fine line between fear and motivation, and if the Commanders aren’t lucky, Philly might make them eat those words on a crispy January day in South Philadelphia.
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