Eagles Face Tall Odds Clinching NFC East With Jalen Hurts Sidelined

Jalen Hurts Philadelphia Eagles — The severity of Jalen Hurts' shoulder injury remains sketchy with varying reports about the 24-year-old player's health status. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

The Eagles are likely to miss Jalen Hurts in their next outings
The severity of Hurts' injury remains unknown
The Cowboys are ready for the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are on the cusp of winning the NFC East, something they can achieve on Saturday, December 24 when they go up against the Dallas Cowboys.

However, doing so will not be easy as Jalen Hurts is questionable for that important game after reportedly suffering a shoulder sprain he incurred in their last assignment against the Chicago Bears last Sunday, December 18 when he was hit by defensive end Trevis Gipson.

The good news is that the agent of Hurts, Nicole Lynn, told ESPN that his client would not be sitting on the sidelines for long.

However, another report from the Philadelphia Inquirer claimed that the MVP candidate could be nursing the injury for at least two more games.

Hence, the task of leading the Eagles on Saturday falls on backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.

Minshew is considered one of the most experienced backup play-callers, already having 22 starts in 30 NFL appearances playing for the Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

However, it remains to be seen if he can uphold the success that Hurts has given the Eagles.

The 2017 Sugar Bowl Offensive MVP is a reason why Philadelphia holds an NFL-best record of 13-1 as he is averaging 248 passing yards per game while tallying 22 touchdowns and five interceptions in 14 starts.

The numbers he has produced this NFL season are a huge jump from the past two seasons. This includes his 67.1% completion rate a career-high over his 61.3% rate in 2021.

Aside from that, the Texas native is a force as a runner with 747 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground this season.

Assuming that Hurts is kept out for two games, he may miss the game against the Cowboys and possibly the match versus the New Orleans Saints.

The Eagles' last assignment will be against the New York Giants on January 7.

Philadelphia holds a three-game lead over the Cowboys in the NFC East and a two-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings (11-3) for the best record in the NFC.

Regardless of who will call the plays for the Eagles, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy stressed that they would be ready.

"We'll be ready for Gardner or Jalen," McCarthy stated.