The Facts: The Eagles got beat by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, getting down 28-7 midway through the third quarter before rallying to make the game tighter. The 28-22 defeat was part of a 2-5 start to the season during which the Eagles were still finding themselves. HC Nick Sirianni was asked Wednesday how much Hurts has improved since the Week 6 matchup with the Bucs. "I think significantly," the coach responded. "He has definitely gotten better throughout that time, which doesn't surprise me at all because Jalen is a student of the game. Jalen wants to get better and craves to get better. He has high football character and, like I have said plenty of times, guys that are tough, guys that have high football character and guys who love football are going to reach their ceiling."

Diehards Line: Hurts had a 90-plus passer rating in each of his last three games (101.3 passer rating since Week 15); he was a DNP in Philly's Week 18 game versus Dallas as the Eagles rested many starters. The second-year signal-caller led all QBs in carries, rush yards, and rush TDs in 2021, but the improvement with Hurts' arm as the season progressed made the Eagles dangerous entering the postseason. In the first meeting with Tampa, Hurts completed 12 of 26 passes for 116 yards, one TD and one INT, and added 44 rushing yards and two rushing scores late to make the close. Philly needs a more well-rounded effort from Hurts if they're to pull the road upset against the defending Super Bowl champs. ... You can get more background on the X in our Wildcard Weekend Team Notes.