What are the chances that the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts will face the Cowboys?
Though they definitely appear to have the spot covered should he be unable to suit up, it goes without saying that the Eagles want their star on the field.
As they prepare to face their division rivals, there may yet be some good news for the Eagles as their starting quarterback has indicated that he should be able to take to the field.
The Eagles’ situation right now
On Tuesday, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed that quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered a sprained right shoulder in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears. Interestingly, when asked about Hurts’ availability for the team’s coming game against the Dallas Cowboys, the coach wouldn’t rule out his star player explaining, that the team didn’t view it as a “long term” injury situation. “He is attacking his rehab,” Sirianni went on to say before adding, “we’ll see what happens this week.”
As for what the Eagles would do in the event that Hurts can’t take the field, Sirianni spoke at length about backup QB Gardner Minshew. “This guy [Minshew] is a great backup quarterback that could be starting on teams in this league, and we know that,” Sirianni said. “He doesn’t need a lot of reps. He’s ready to go because of the football IQ he has, the intelligence he has. If he has to go, we’ll have 100 percent confidence in him because he can ball. He proved that last year. I think he’s proven that throughout his career. He’s a winner. He’s a winner. That’s all he knows how to do.” The backup signal caller has started one game - last season when Hurts was out injured - but it was a good one, as he completed 20 of his 25 passes for 242 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions AND a 133.7 rating. Incidentally, He also started the Eagles’ Week 18 finale against the Cowboys, but Philadelphia had already secured a playoff spot and were resting starters at that point. At any rate, the Eagles need just one win from their final three games to take the NFC East and with it home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Could Jalen Hurts play against the Cowboys?
If there’s one thing Eagles fans can feel positive about, it’s that their quarterback is definitely focused on the task at hand. Speaking to reporters, Hurts declared that there is “definitely a chance” that he will play this weekend. “I’m taking it day by day,” Hurts said. “Everybody knows that I’m dealing with something. I think it’s pretty public. It’s out there. I’m not really one to talk about myself Obviously, being the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, you can’t run from that. But I’m taking everything one day a time with it, and preparing for a really good defense.”
On the season so far, Hurts has completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,472 yards with 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions for a rating of 104.6 rating. The Eagles QB has also rushed for 747 yards and 13 touchdowns. We should also mention that Hurts’ 35 combined touchdowns in this campaign have tied Randall Cunningham’s franchise record from 1990. Indeed, he was on track to become the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 800 yards in a single season prior to the injury. Ultimately, though they can cope, it goes without saying that the Eagles will want their main man on the field when they face the Cowboys.