PHILADELPHIA – Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered a right shoulder sprain and his status for Philadelphia’s game in Dallas is uncertain, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.
Hurts was injured in a win against Chicago on Sunday, according to the person who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the injury.
Hurts led the Eagles to a 13-1 record and the best record in the NFL. The 24-year-old blossomed into a serious NFL MVP contender in his second season as a starter.
Hurts has thrown 22 touchdowns and has 3,472 passing yards, and he has rushed for 747 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He took several big hits against the Bears, landing hard on his shoulder when he was tackled by defensive tackle Travis Gipson. Hurts appeared to be in no pain as he spoke to the media after the game, brushing off questions about the slow rise from some tackles.
“Feel good, listen to my Anita Baker, gave me some candy on the flight home, watch the tape, learn from it and move on,” he said. “It wasn’t the first time I was slow, it won’t be the last time. I wasn’t playing a really physical game.”
The Eagles need one more win to win the NFC East and secure the No. 1 spot in the NFC. They would turn to backup QB Gardner Minshew to start Saturday’s game against the Cowboys. The fourth-year QB has seen limited garbage-time action this season, but last year he started two games for the Eagles and threw four touchdowns and had 439 passing yards.
Philadelphia’s sensational season means the Eagles can play it safe and rest hurts so he’s ready for the playoffs. Hurts was an MVP leader at most betting sites but he plummeted to 7-1 on Monday, per FanDuel SportsBook. Also per fan duelthe Cowboys are now a 6-point favorite to beat the Eagles.
After Dallas, the Eagles close out the season with home games against New Orleans and the New York Giants. Should they reach the No. 1 spot in the conference, the Eagles could play up to two home games at Lincoln Financial Field in the playoffs.
Hurts recently celebrated two years since being promoted to starter over the ineffective Carson Wentz at the end of the 2020 season. The Eagles’ decision at the time to draft second-round hurts with the 53rd overall pick in 2020, when the Eagles had far more urgent needs, was a mystery. But Wentz was traded to Indianapolis and the Eagles stuck with the 2019 Heisman Trophy runner-up and watched him develop into one of the best QBs in the NFL.
Hurt’s 35 total touchdowns that season equaled the franchise record set by Randall Cunningham in 1990. He threw two interceptions against the Bears after only throwing three all season. But he rushed for three touchdowns for the second time in his career. In Sunday’s 25-21 win, he missed 22 of 37 and jumped 315 yards.
“If things look different on the field or maybe it’s not how we want it to be, we stick together and find a way to fix it,” Hurts said.
Now the Eagles will likely need to do the same as they prepare to play without hurts.
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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