Wink Martindale Preparing for 'Jalen Hurts the MVP Candidate' and More

The Eagles' offense has operated at a high level all season and it's the Giants' defensive coordinator's job to find a way to stop it

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles’ offensive numbers are one thing, the top 10 NFL rankings in seven categories including total offense (third), rushing (fifth), passing (ninth), and 28.1 points scored per game (third).

The players producing those numbers are something else.

The job of devising a game plan to slow the Eagles’ offensive talent in Saturday night’s NFC Divisional Round falls in the lap of New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.

The Vikings had Justin Jefferson and an aging Adam Thielen to contend with on the outside of the offensive formation in New York's wildcard win.

The Eagles have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, a pair of superstar receivers who accounted for a combined 2,692 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. They also have a roster that includes tight end Dallas Goedert and running back Miles Sanders, and a Pro Bowl offensive line.

“That’s tough,” said Martindale to reporters on Wednesday. “The more there are, the tougher it is. I think they got six Pro Bowlers on the offense and probably three snubs. And it’s a talented group we’re getting ready to face. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”

Obviously, Martindale will have to solve the Jalen Hurts puzzle.

Martindale is expecting a full-strength Hurts, though the Eagles quarterback experienced pain and soreness in his throwing shoulder during his last outing, two weeks ago against New York.

"He’s off the injury report, so I’m expecting Jalen Hurts the MVP candidate," he said. "I think if you expect anything less, you’re kidding yourself because the guy’s definitely a competitor."

Hurts suffered a sprained throwing shoulder on Dec. 18 in Chicago and missed two games.

“Everybody’s saying he’s having an MVP season, and I agree because he can beat you with his legs,” said Martindale. “He can beat you with just being a drop-back quarterback. He can beat you with a sore shoulder. He can beat you a lot of different ways, and that’s a great challenge because there are just a few quarterbacks that can do it that way.

“And you can have him dead to rights back there in the pocket, and he’s a magician. He’ll get out of it. I’m not happy for the guy right now because I’m preparing for him, but you can see the work that he put in the past offseason. 

"And where he’s at today is, to me, two completely different quarterbacks. Out of respect of the game, you respect that. You can see the hard work that he put in. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge.”

Martindale, though, has a healthy defense.

Cornerback Adoree Jackson is back and so is safety Xavier McKinney, two players who missed both games this year. Martindale also will have Leonard Williams lined up next to second-team All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

It’s a defense that has shown versatility, with Martindale seemingly always blitzing against the Eagles and other teams but dialing that back against the Vikings.

“I think you have to adapt and change, too, offensively for what they're doing defensively,” said Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. “Every game is its own new identity, so we have to be ready for whatever they're going to throw at us defensively, and if there's something new, we have to make the adjustments quickly.”

It’s going to be a football game, but between these two coordinators who are attracting attention for head coaching jobs, it sounds like it will be more of a chess match.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.