With a playoff spot secured last season, the Philadelphia Eagles held quarterback Jalen Hurts out of their regular-season finale. With a playoff spot secured this season, the Eagles are hoping to have the former Alabama standout on the field for their regular-season finale on Sunday.

Hurts has missed the past two games because of a sprained throwing shoulder.

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“It’s trending in the right direction,” Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni said about Hurts’ status before practice on Friday. “You know, again, we’re going to see how today goes. But he’s trending in the right direction. We feel good about it, but we have to see how today goes. That’s why I meet with you guys beforehand, so I don’t have to tell you that answer.”

Sirianni was asked what difference one day would make in Hurts’ recovery.

“You’re just seeing how he is after the fact,” Sirianni said. “And the major thing is I don’t have to tell you guys yet, right? And I’m not quite there yet. We still are thinking through everything. It’s just like anything: You just aren’t quick to say exactly what might happen because there’s obviously circumstances that could happen and there’s things like how he could feel today and all those things.”

The Eagles aren’t interested in saving Hurts for the playoffs this season because of what’s on the line on Sunday. Last year, Philadelphia was heading for a wild-card game. This year, the Eagles could be headed toward a first-round bye and homefield advantage in the NFC playoffs or back to wild-card status.

At 13-3, Philadelphia has the best record in the NFC. The Eagles will secure the NFC East title and the conference’s No. 1 postseason seed by defeating the New York Giants in their regular-season finale on Sunday.

But if the Eagles lose, they would be overtaken for the No. 1 seed by San Francisco if the 49ers defeat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Dallas would grab the NFC East crown from Philadelphia if the Eagles lose and the Cowboys defeat the Washington Commanders. If that happened, Dallas could be the conference’s No. 1 seed, too, if the 49ers lose.

Philadelphia built a 13-1 record with Hurts at quarterback. But with Gardner Minshew filling in for the past two games, the Eagles have lost twice to fall within range of San Francisco and Dallas.

“If he’s ready to play, we’ll play him,” Sirianni said. “It’s really as simple as that. If we feel like he’s trending in the right direction and if we like after today’s practice and after he goes through his rehab today and all those different things that he’s ready to go — all those, like the contact, the hits, the throwing, everything’s obviously taken into account. That’s what I’m trying to kind of clarify. We don’t segment anything. He’s ready to play, or he’s not ready to play.”

The Giants and Eagles square off at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia at 3:25 p.m. CST Sunday, the same time as the Cowboys-Commanders and Cardinals-49ers games kick off.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.