As MVP league leader and starting quarterback Jalen Hurts has a sprained right shoulder, it looks like the Philadelphia Eagles (13-1) will play backup Gardner Minshew in their biggest game of the year against the Dallas Cowboys (10-4) on Saturday. ).
Hurts was injured in the third quarter of Sunday’s 25-20 victory over the Chicago Bears. Defensive tackle Trevis Gipson knocked him down to the cold Soldier Field grass. He stayed in the game and threw a pass to DeVonta Smith on an away route on the next play.
He then threw a long pass to wide receiver AJ Brown. Here’s what happens to Minshew and the Eagles when Hurts is ruled out for Week 16.
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How concerned are the Eagles about Hurt’s missed time?
The Eagles’ NovaCare complex isn’t sounding alarm bells about Hurts’ long-term availability, which is good news. From the team’s point of view, any time he misses will be used to get his throwing arm back to full power and functionality for the playoffs.
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The Eagles have a lot of wiggle room as they only need to win one of their last three games of the season to clinch first place in the NFC. ESPN Analytics said as of Monday they had a 99.7% chance of getting the number 1 seed in the NFC and goodbye.
But they don’t want trouble. If they beat Dallas on Sunday, they’re in and coach Nick Sirianni can rest the starters as he pleases for the last two weeks.
What does Philly want Gardner Minshew to do?
Perhaps Minshew’s most important job is to make sure that Philadelphia is in a good place to make the playoffs. Minshew showed on the spot that he can do his job well.
Last December, Hurts started in place of an injured quarterback and went 20 for 25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-18 win over the New York Jets.
Since his last big game, the team has improved and Brown (1,201 yards receiving, 10 touchdowns) plays as a top receiver. The tight Dallas Goedert could play in this game, even though he hurt his shoulder in the last game.
#Eagles went to Dallas on Christmas Day in 2006 with reserve quarterback Jeff Garcia and won 23-7, clinching a playoff spot and winning the NFC East pic.twitter.com/laXWofxcx6
— Eliot Shorr Parks (@EliotShorrParks) December 19, 2022
Minshew can play point guard without worrying about too much. He works behind one of the best attacking lines in football and with one of the best position groups.
How will the Cowboys’ defense give Minshew a hard time?
Still, Minshew’s likely first game of the season will be against a bad team. The Cowboys are second in the NFL in pass defense (191.6 yards per game), first in takeaways (26) and second in sacks (49). He will have a lot to do.
“I think they’re the best pass-rush unit in the league,” right tackle said Lane Johnson. “[Linebacker] Micah Parsons is a dynamic player. [Defensive ends] DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, all those guys across the board. So they are not a joke. They play hard, they play well.”
Is Minshew a good substitute quarterback?
Hurts has done an MVP level job. His skill as a runner (he has 13 rushing touchdowns, which is just one short of Cam Newton, the all-time single-season quarterback leader) has made it difficult for the defense to stop him and his improvement as a passer (his 67.3% completion rate is up from 61.3% in 2021) has made the Eagles’ offense very powerful.
Still, Minshew is in a good place to do well. The offensive line ranks seventh in number of strokes when blocking the pass (64 percent). Brown (first, 94 ratings) and Smith (twelfth, 77 ratings) are the highest-rated receiver duo in the league, according to ESPN’s ratings.
Fortunately, the Eagles backup quarterback is Tua Tagovailoa. https://t.co/J4452TNIOc
— Joe DiBiase (@SneakyJoeSports) December 19, 2022
Running back Miles Sanders is fifth in rushing yards (1,110) and rushing touchdowns (11) and the defense is first in pass rush win percentage (53 percent), sacks (55) and interceptions (15).
Nothing this year can take away from what Hurts has done. But Minshew, who is 26 years old, has shown he can handle the job with 41 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and 22 starts in his career. And he’s never had a better group of people around him.
Who is the Eagles backup quarterback for Jalen Hurts?
After the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, quarterback Jalen Hurts hurt his shoulder. According to the Philly Voice, he was given post-game X-rays and is now thought to have an injury that may keep him out of a game, but it is not thought to be a long-term problem.
The Eagles have already made the playoffs and now they’re trying to take first place in the NFC. If Hurts can’t play against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, Minshew will likely take his place.
The Eagles’ backup quarterback will go into Dallas and beat the cowboys. It’s fate, fate and it’s going to happen. Birds with 90.
— Luke troxell (@loutroxell) December 19, 2022
Minshew began his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2021, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. He has played in three games so far this season and completed two passes for 34 yards.
Ian Book, who has not played in any games this season, is the third choice for the third series. In 2021, the last time Minshew started against the Cowboys, he completed 19 of 33 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The score was 51–26. On Saturday, December 24, the game kicks off at 4:25 PM ET… Just follow us on Lee Daily for more news like this.
