Cowboys are preparing to take on both Eagles QB Jalenhurts, despite his uncertain status.
FRISCO, Texas — Vegas noticed quickly.
The Dallas Cowboys The had opened as 1.5 point favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles In the Saturday matchup of playoff-bound NFC East players.
Then, Monday afternoon news broke that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts You may not be able to play.
Hurts suffered a sprain in his throwing shoulder, a person with knowledge of the diagnosis confirmed to Yahoo Sports, his status is “up in the air for this week.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly disclose Hurts’ medical information.
The loss of any team’s starting quarterback hurts. Hurts is a MVP candidate and this hurts even more.
The deadline for the release of this document is Monday evening Cowboys were 6-point favorites. NFL pundits know: Hurts’ dynamic, dual-threat game can’t easily be replicated.
“He’s playing at an extremely high level, so super productive,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I don’t think you could argue with just the production he’s put on film.”
If the 13-1 Eagles rest Hurts to ensure he’s healthier for a postseason run, fourth-year backup Gardner Minshew The game will begin. The 2019 sixth-round pick brings 30 games’ experience and 22 starts to the line. He’s won eight of those, including one of two starts in two seasons with Philadelphia.
The Cowboys, McCarthy said, will “be ready for both quarterbacks.”
Hurts is a speedy passer with 3,472 passing yard, 22 touchdowns, five interceptions and a completion rate of 67.3%. That doesn’t factor in his rampant ground threat, Hurts’ 747 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing each most among NFL quarterbacks this season. Next closest are Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields Eight ground scores and the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen At six.
The Cowboys allowed just 192 yards of rushing in a season, so the divergence is very relevant. 40-34 overtime loss To the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Our run defense will be the first area that’s under attack each and every week,” McCarthy said. “You look at the games where things didn’t go as well as we’d like on defense, that’s been a consistent attacking point.”
Minshew is liable to use his legs occasionally, but his career high of 56 rushing yards (in 2019) and one career rushing touchdown don’t come anywhere near Hurts.
Minshew can do anything against the Cowboys, and they don’t have to imagine it. His last game was actually against Dallas in last season’s final regular-season game. Minshew was able to complete 19 of 33 passes (57.6%), for 186 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the Cowboys’ 51-26 defeat. The Eagles also rested some players. Minshew, who had been a starter last season, led Philadelphia to a 33-18 win against the Cowboys. New York Jets Dec. 5, 2021. With a better supporting cast, his play was clean: 20 of 25, 242 yards; two touchdowns; no turnovers.
Minshew finds tight end Dallas Goedert For scores of 36- and 25 yards in this game.
Expect to receive tandem A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who accounted for 307 of Hurts’ 315 yards Sunday against the Chicago Bears, to make Minshew’s day easier.
Add in one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, a stingy defense and the league’s fourth-best running game, and Minshew will not be asked to carry the load alone.
“They have some exceptional players,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. “They’ve got a lot of good pieces to feature. And most often — not all the time but most often — the system stays pretty consistent.”
Perhaps ironically, Cowboys All Pro linebacker Micah Parsons had created a stir last week when he questioned Hurts’ MVP candidacy on the basis of how talented Philadelphia’s roster was beyond the quarterback position. “If we look at the Eagles,” Parsons wondered, “is it Hurts or the team?” Parsons clarified he meant “no disrespect to Hurts” while philosophizing about relative value of roster positions in football. The Eagles will now have the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do with their soon-to be franchise quarterback by visiting Parsons or the Cowboys.
“As far as who would play and how they would utilize guys, their run game, the receivers they would use, the tight end — I’d imagine that would be all the same,” Quinn said. “Then maybe some of the specific runs that Jalen does, I imagine that would change if they had another quarterback. In my opinion, it would be around 80% [of their game plan] It would be identical and 20[%] would be different.”
Both NFC East teams have already secured playoff spots. The Eagles’ league-best record puts them on pace to become the NFC’s top playoff seed, and so a first round bye. Dallas could win the division if the Cowboys win and the Eagles lose. There are three weeks left in this season.