PHILADELPHIA — Nick Sirianni coached so badly, only prime Jalen Hurts could save him.

Hurts led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that absolved Slick Nick of the second deadly coaching sin: greed. Sirianni left nine points on the field because he chased a hypothetical 20. He twice tried to convert fourth downs instead of kicking short field goals, then opted for three failed two-point conversions. Still, thanks to Hurts, the Eagles beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 28-23, their fourth win in a row, and moved to 6-2.

Hurts is playing so well that sometimes you don’t even notice him. His passer rating is 128.9 in the past four games. He hasn’t been perfect, but he hasn’t needed perfection.

After accounting for nine touchdowns and no turnovers in the three wins that preceded Sunday afternoon, Hurts accounted for four more scores, two each by land and air, and no more turnovers against the Jaguars. His 18-yard touchdown run gave the Eagles a 22-0 lead in the third quarter. His 25-yard teardrop to DeVonta Smith in the fourth quarter made it 28-16 midway through the fourth.

It was a three-phase win.

Saquon Barkley logged his fifth 100-yard rushing game and his third in a row, with 159, and two scores, one on the ground, one a wondrous, 20-yard catch. He was the best player on the field. His signature play came early in the second quarter, when he spun away from two tacklers then hurdled another — backward.

The defense dropped Trevor Lawrence twice, both sacks by Josh Sweat. The linebackers picked him off twice; first, a dropped pass deservedly landed in the hands of linebacker Zach Baun, who played brilliantly; then, with 1 minute, 38 seconds to play, Nakobe Dean made an acrobatic grab in the end zone.

Sydney Brown forced a fumble on punt coverage that led to the Eagles’ first first-quarter score in nine games.

It should have been easier. Sirianni made sure it was not so. It was good for drama but bad for the blood pressure.

The Birds held on without the services of their best player, A.J. Brown, who didn’t play in the second half due to a knee injury. They held on despite an apparently egregiously botched fumble ruling that went against Barkley; the fumble was returned for a score.

They held on like great Eagles teams of yesteryear held on.

It was a night of nostalgia. The players wore kelly green, LeSean “Shady” McCoy got his Eagles Hall of Fame jacket, and Doug Pederson, who won the franchise’s only Super Bowl, visited Lincoln Financial Field for one last loss.

Hurts’ play brought back memories, too; memories of a bygone era, back when he didn’t give the ball away, when he managed the talent around him, and when he played like a winner, not a hero.

You know.

Way back in 2022, when — sometimes in spite of Sirianni — the Eagles went to the Super Bowl.

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