The Philadelphia Eagles have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they still have some issues to deal with QB Jalen Hurts. The star QB was balling out for the birds this year, before suffering a shoulder injury in late December. Some fans wondered if Hurts would force himself to play the final games of their season. As it turns out, that will be the case… for Week 18, that is. Jalen Hurts was still ruled out for Week 17 by the Eagles, but he'll reportedly play in the finale next week, per Adam Schefter's sources.
“Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will not play Sunday against the Saints but is expected to be available for Philadelphia's regular-season finale against the Giants, league sources told ESPN. Whether and how much Hurts plays in Week 18 will be heavily influenced by what happens Sunday against the Saints.”
Starting in Jalen Hurts' stead for Week 17 is Gardner Minshew, per Stacey Dales. Minshew was also the starter for their Week 16 shootout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Nick Sirianni just confirmed to me that Gardner Minshew is going to start today for the #FlyEaglesFly (Jalen Hurts was listed as “doubtful”).
…our 1-on-1 coming up @NFLGameDay @nflnetwork #NOvsPHI 🏈
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) January 1, 2023
A win by the Eagles against the Saints this week guarantees that they'll get the number one seed in the NFC. In that scenario, Philly could give Jalen Hurts more time to recover from his injury. Schefter's report also notes that the team could send him out in Week 18 to get warmed up before their bye week in the playoffs.
However, if the Saints prevail over the Eagles, then Jalen Hurts will likely play in full capacity. For short… this game is all about giving Hurts more time to recover. A win here would be massively beneficial for Philly.
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