It was only practice, but with the Philadelphia Eagles badly needing to lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts returned to throwing on Thursday.

He was seen taking first-team reps early on, and it appears that he could miraculously start for the Eagles on Sunday in a must-win matchup.

With Lane Johnson, Avonte Maddox and several others dealing with injuries, clinching the division on Sunday would allow Philadelphia to rest some starters in the season finale against the Giants.

Reuben Frank -- NBC Sports Philadelphia

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Jeff McLane

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Zach Berman

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Jeff McLane

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Josh Tolentino

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Josh Tolentino

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Ian Rapoport

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Adam Caplan

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Howard Eskins

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The fast healer is back.

Story originally appeared on Eagles Wire