PHILADELPHIA − The good news for the Eagles is quarterback Jalen Hurts did not fracture the middle finger on his throwing hand in the second quarter Sunday, according to an NFL Network report.

That doesn't mean Hurts' finger is fine as the Eagles prepare for their wild-card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa next Monday night.

Hurts admitted as much Sunday night after the 27-10 loss to the Giants. He said his finger "popped out" when he was hit by a Giants defender on his follow-through on a fourth-down pass that fell incomplete.

An Associated Press photograph showed Hurts' finger grotesquely disfigured as he came to the sideline. Hurts went into the medical tent during the Giants' possession that resulted in a touchdown for a 10-0 lead.

But Hurts was on the field for the Eagles' next possession, and head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday "that gives you goosebumps to think about one of your best players doing that, and fighting through for his teammates."

Hurts and several other starters were eventually benched heading into halftime, when the Giants took a 24-0 lead. Hurts was 7-for-16 passing for 55 yards and an interception, one of his worst games in the NFL.

But Sirianni, without providing details, said he can only imagine what Hurts will go through this week in order to play Monday night.

"I know he's going to be sore," Sirianni said. "There’s no doubt about that. And I know that finger is going to get stiff, and he’s going to have to go through hard work to make sure that he is ready to go. I have no doubt that he’s going to do everything he can do to do that, and that he’ll be able to play through his bumps and bruises because I’ve seen him do it over and over and over again."

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In addition to Hurts, safety Sydney Brown tore his ACL, according to the NFL Network, and Sirianni confirmed that he is out of the season.

Sirianni said he's "hopeful" that star wide receiver A.J. Brown (knee) and safety Reed Blankenship (groin) can return for the Bucs, in addition to injured players who sat out in wide receiver DeVonta Smith (ankle), cornerback Darius Slay (knee) and running back D'Andre Swift (illness).

A.J. Brown was seen in the locker room after the game without a knee brace, and he appeared to be walking without a limp.

Brown had 1,456 yards receiving this season, second in franchise history to the 1,496 yards he had last season. Smith, meanwhile, had 1,066 yards receiving.

Did Quez Watkins show enough in absence of top 2 receivers?

That left the Eagles with only Quez Watkins and Julio Jones as the main wide receivers for 3½ quarters.

Watkins finished with eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. That surpassed his totals for the entire season. Watkins came into the game with seven catches for 49 yards in nine games (he missed seven with a hamstring injury).

Watkins told Delaware Online/The News Journal after the game that this season has been by far the toughest of his four seasons. Watkins was essentially benched after not trying to break up an underthrown ball in the end zone that was intercepted by Seattle's Julian Love on Dec. 18.

The Eagles lost that game 20-17, and Watkins played just one snap in the next two games before getting a chance Sunday in the wake of Smith's injury, then Brown's.

"Considering how this year went, honestly that was a big confidence booster for me," Watkins said. "Just being able to play free and just play ball again. It was a blessing for me."

Watkins, of course, knows that Brown, Smith and Dallas Goedert are going to get the vast majority of the targets. That was the case last season, too, when Watkins had 33 catches for 354 yards.

"It was to the point where not many opportunities came my way earlier in the year, dealing with injury, trying to get my feet back under me," he said. "It was different things, trying to get acclimated to the game.

"I definitely showed that I can do this every game, in any game. I can be that player."

He might get that chance against the Buccaneers if either Brown or Smith, or both, can't play. Watkins will be eligible for free agency in the spring, so he could also be auditioning for another team as well.

"Make no mistake about it, we have not lost faith or confidence in Quez," Sirianni said. "We still know how much his speed can change the game and help open up other guys, and how that can help himself (get) open.

How do the Eagles recover?

But that does little to overcome the Eagles' season-ending free-fall. The Eagles lost five of their last six games, going from a 10-1 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC to 11-6 and a wild-card team.

All of which has led to questions about Sirianni's job security even though the Eagles are in the playoffs for the third time in Sirianni's three seasons.

Sirianni said he's confident the Eagles will turn it around.

"It’s my job to make sure that we (get out of the slump)," Sirianni said. "How sweet it will be when we do get out of it because I know that we will. I know we got the right guys to get out of it."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: As injuries hit Jalen Hurts, Eagles, can Quez Watkins 'be that player'?