It seems all but certain that the Philadelphia Eagles’ (13-1) Super Bowl hopes and dreams rest on the legs and shoulder of quarterback Jalen Hurts.
That’s great news for Eagles fans because for much of this season Hurts has looked like an MVP candidate thanks to his legs and arm.
He’s thrown for 3,472 yards and 22 touchdowns (five interceptions) while rushing for 747 yards and 13 scores.
The bad news, for Hurts and the Eagles, is that his health is in question after the quarterback suffered a sprain on his throwing shoulder during Philly’s win against the Chicago Bears.
The Alabama product didn’t miss a snap against Chicago, but his status looking ahead to Philadelphia’s road clash with the 10-4 Dallas Cowboys is up in the air.
To make things worse for Philly now that the college football regular season is over the NFL plays on Saturdays and Sundays, and this NFC East rivalry clash is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
That means there’s one less day for Hurts to recover, but it’s worth noting that head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t appear to be worried.
If there’s anyone who could quickly recover from this injury, it would be his quarterback.
“I do not put it past Jalen Hurts, I don’t put anything past Jalen Hurts as far as his physical and mental toughness,” Sirianni said Tuesday, per ESPN. “There’s a chance he can play this week.”
Sirianni does, of course, have to keep Hurts’ long-term health in mind. There’s also the greater goal of this season.
Beating the Cowboys and locking up the NFC East would be nice, but the Eagles are trying to win a Super Bowl, not just the division.
So though there is a chance Hurts does play, it may make more sense for the Eagles to trot out backup Gardner Minshew, who is certainly capable of winning this game.
“We will play him when he’s ready to play,” Sirianni said of Hurts. “If that’s this week, it’s this week. If it’s next week, it’s next week. When Jalen’s ready to play, he’s ready to play. All aspects of it.”
