NFC East news: Washington, Philadelphia prepare for playoffs; New York retains Daboll & Schoen

Marshon Lattimore gets added urgency for Commanders’ playoff involvement – Dean Jones, RiggosRag.com

Washington’s Marshon Lattimore could square off against a familiar foe in Tampa.

Marshon Lattimore’s time on the field since joining the Washington Commanders has been extremely limited. If this defense wants to thrive in the postseason, they need their best coverage cornerback to make a lasting contribution.

Lattimore hasn’t been seen over the final two games of the regular season. He reinjured his hamstring during a titanic battle with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. Head coach Dan Quinn stated he was optimistic about his postseason involvement, there was just no need to force the issue with Washington’s playoff spot already secure.

Marshon Lattimore will push hard to renew physical rivalry wth Mike Evans

Almost as soon as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the third seed and a home wildcard tie versus Washington, the pending battle between Lattimore and Evans didn’t take long to become a hot topic of discussion across social media. This should give the former first-round pick all the incentive needed to feature in some capacity.

Lattimore isn’t one to shirk a challenge. He’s highly competitive and is going to relish the chance to line up opposite Evans once again. He knows how to get into the wide receiver’s head, which will be a tremendous asset for the Commanders in pursuit of reaching the divisional round.

This might speed things up from Lattimore’s perspective, but it’s not going to alter the Commanders’ approach with the shutdown boundary presence. They have a process in place and need the Ohio State product to hit specific targets before giving him the green light. That won’t change just because a must-see tussle with Evans is the prize.

Evans reached the 1,000-yard receiving milestone once again with no time to spare against the New Orleans Saints. That extends his superb run since entering the league, but there is no love lost from Lattimore’s perspective if history is any indication.

As the postseason nears, Hurts is still in concussion protocol.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for Sunday’s wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers.

Head coach Nick Sirianni told the media on Monday that Hurts is still in the protocol following the concussion he sustained early in the Eagles’ Week 16 game against the Washington Commanders. He missed the remainder of the game, which the Eagles lost, and didn’t play in Week 17 or 18. Kenny Pickett filled in for Hurts in Week 16 and part of Week 17. Tanner McKee stepped in after Pickett took a nasty shot to the ribs in Week 17, then made his very first NFL start against the New York Giants in Week 18.

Sirianni didn’t give any details, which has been true of every “update” he’s given since Hurts entered the protocol on Dec. 22. The Eagles haven’t released any information on whether Hurts has been progressing through the various phases of the NFL’s return-to-participation protocol or how far he’s gotten, though Sirianni did confirm that Hurts was present at Saturday’s walkthrough. Unfortunately, since that is a non-contact club event, there isn’t much to glean from that.

The Eagles beat the Packers all the way back in Week 1 during the NFL’s first game in Brazil. Both teams are much different now than they were four-plus months ago, but missing Hurts would be a tremendous blow to the Eagles’ chances. Eventually Sirianni will have to reveal more, but not until the Eagles actually hold a real practice this week.

Joe Schoen: No ‘Hail Mary’s’ in trying to turn New York Giants around – Ed Valentine, BigBlueView.com

New York’s front office feels big improvements are right around the corner.

Joe Schoen didn’t hide from responsibility for the mess that the New York Giants have been over the past two seasons when he met with the media after the announcement he would return for a fourth season as general manager.

“First and foremost, myself,” said Schoen when asked where responsibility fell following a 3-14 season. “We’re not good enough. We didn’t play well enough. I’ve got to do a better job assembling a roster with more talent so we can go out and compete at a higher level. So, I look inward, first and foremost.”

Schoen said his belief that he would be brought back “never wavered.”

Fixing the Giants after a combined 9-25 record the past two seasons is not an easy task. It won’t be made easier for Schoen by co-owner John Mara’s statement that “it better not take too long” for the product to get better.

Schoen said they will be “looking at the organization top to bottom, trying to figure out what’s best moving forward.”

Schoen knows there is a mountain to climb. He thinks the organization is in a position to have an opportunity to do so.

“We’re here. We’re picking third in the draft. As we built this thing, when [quarterback] Daniel [Jones] had the ACL a year ago, not knowing how he was going to come back, we also had to be conscious of what may be on the horizon. So, you’re working on parallel tracks,” Schoen said. “So, we’re sitting here with 40-plus million dollars in cap space and over 100 the following year. So, some teams are in this situation where maybe they need a quarterback and they don’t have the financial pieces or the draft resources. So, we are in good shape from that standpoint in terms of improving the roster via free agency, trades, or through the draft. I’ve got a lot of confidence in the people in the building, the process and I’ve got a lot of faith in the plan that we have in place moving forward.”