PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts didn’t discriminate.
It didn’t matter which Giants defender he targeted — Hurts carved up each like a Christmas ham during the first half of the Giants’ 33-25 Christmas Day loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Hurts, who entered Monday’s clash on the back of his worst stretch of the season, received the perfect Christmas present to get back on track in what was a far overmatched Giants defense.
Hurts finished with 301 passing yards for a touchdown and interception along with 34 rushing yards and a touchdown, and made history as well.
His 1-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, on Philadelphia’s vaunted “tush-push” play, was his 15th rushing touchdown of the season — now the most ever in a single season by a quarterback.
His only blemish came at the end of the third quarter, a pick-six to Adoree’ Jackson that cut the Giants’ deficit to 20-18.
Hurts, who had just one touchdown pass and two interceptions during the Eagles’ three-game losing streak entering Monday, even managed to turn mistakes into highlights.
On third-and-3 from the Giants’ 17-yard line late in the first quarter, Eagles center Jason Kelce snapped the ball way too high and it went careening off Hurts’ hands.
But Hurts somehow managed to corral the ball, spin back around and evade two Giants defenders before throwing across his body and finding Grant Calcaterra for a first down.
The Eagles soon kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 10-3.
That magician-like play to pick up the first down also encapsulated the Giants’ woeful tackling throughout the evening.
Jackson had a chance to tackle Calcaterra short of a first down, but completely whiffed.
“I know I missed a couple,” Jackson said. “They got a great low center of gravity. That’s a talented group. They must practice doing stuff like that. Even when he fumbled the snap and he threw it to [Calcaterra], backside, I’m looking for the ball, they see the ball so they’re going to it. I’m trying to make a tackle, they keep their balance. That’s just a well-balanced team.”
Hurts began the Eagles’ next drive with a 16-yard run, easily shedding a tackle from Jason Pinnock in the process.
Two plays later, Hurts found DeVonta Smith for a 36-yard touchdown pass to extend the Eagles’ lead to 17-3.
On the Eagles’ next drive, their last of the first half, Hurts got it started with an 19-yard pass to Kenneth Gainwell.
Hurts, of course, brushed Micah McFadden right off him before he was able to find Gainwell. The Eagles soon kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 20-3.
Hurts spread the ball around, shredding nearly all members of the Giants’ secondary.
He found Smith four times for 79 yards and a touchdown, A.J. Brown six times for 80 yards, Gainwell three times for 38 yards and Dallas Goedert seven times for 71 yards.
“It’s tough because they got a lot of talented guys,” Xavier McKinney said. “A lot of guys that can do things to create in space. It just makes it a lot easier for [Hurts] to operate and it makes the offense a lot more efficient. You gotta tip your hats off to them.”
