There wasn’t much that was aesthetically pleasing about watching Kenny Pickett play quarterback Sunday. He wears gloves, for one thing, because he finds that they’re more comfortable and help him better grip a football. But no quarterback who wears gloves appears as graceful and fluid throwing the ball as a quarterback who doesn’t wear them. What’s more, on every pass, whether it was a go route to DeVonta Smith or a screen to Saquon Barkley, Pickett seemed to be putting all his might into every throw.

None of these observations meant that Pickett had a poor game in the Eagles’ 41-7 romp over the Cowboys, in the victory that clinched for them the NFC East title and at least the No. 2 seed in the conference playoff bracket. On the contrary, despite some skittish moments early on, Pickett was excellent: 10-for-15, 143 yards, one passing touchdown, one Tush Push touchdown. His style of play was reminiscent of a previous Eagles backup QB, Jeff Garcia, and his production was, too.

Pickett left the game with just less than nine minutes remaining in the third quarter after taking a shot to his already-sore ribs from the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons. But then Tanner McKee stepped in for Pickett, tossed a touchdown to A.J. Brown on a beautiful back-shoulder throw, and the Eagles just rolled along. Hello, 13-3. Goodbye, any worries about Jalen Hurts’ absence. At least for the moment.

And it might be only a moment. Had Hurts suffered a knee sprain or bruised shoulder last Sunday against the Washington Commanders, everyone would have a clearer sense of his immediate future. There would be a more reliable and defined timeline for his return. But he didn’t sprain his knee or bruise his shoulder. He was concussed, and though he wanted to get back into action immediately, there’s really no telling when he’ll be able to play again. He might pass the league-mandated protocol in the next few days and be ready to go for the postseason’s first round, in two weeks, or … the Eagles’ medical staff might not clear him at all. Head trauma is that unpredictable, and it demands that much patience and care.

With Hurts at full health, the Eagles are an obvious favorite to reach and, once there, win the Super Bowl. And in most such situations, when a quarterback who is that valuable to his team goes down, that team would be so crippled that it would no longer be considered a championship contender. Take Patrick Mahomes away from the Kansas City Chiefs or Josh Allen from the Buffalo Bills, of course, and those teams aren’t nearly so formidable, and the same principle applies to those QBs who are a tier below Mahomes and Allen: Jared Goff with the Detroit Lions, say, or Hurts with the Eagles.

Even Sunday’s lopsided outcome at Lincoln Financial Field doesn’t necessarily mean the Eagles would be just hunky-dory in the playoffs if Hurts is still sidelined. The Cowboys didn’t have Dak Prescott or CeeDee Lamb or Trevon Diggs, and they weren’t exactly tearing up the NFL this season when those were healthy, anyway.

Remember, though: The Eagles have a long history of surviving, even thriving, after losing their starting quarterback to injury. In 2002, Donovan McNabb broke his ankle, and the Eagles kept winning with Koy Detmer and A.J. Feeley. In 2006, Garcia filled in for McNabb and became a folk hero for his contributions to an out-of-nowhere run to a division title and the NFC divisional round. And no one around here needs reminding of what happened after Carson Wentz had his left knee torn up in early December 2017. That overwhelming doubt that usually accompanies seeing a star quarterback limp or stagger to the sideline? Yeah, Nick Foles caused a lot of it to evaporate forever.

Those episodes don’t have much direct relevance to this particular Eagles team in this particular Eagles season. But they do serve as good reminders that whether Pickett or McKee or Ian Book turns out to be the one taking snaps in another meaningful game, there’s still a chance, maybe a good one, that this team — especially this team, with this collection of skill-position standouts, with this offensive line, with this defense — can withstand being without Hurts. The Eagles have been here before. These Eagles look like they can handle it.

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