It’ll be Minshew Mania when the Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.
That’s because Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Thursday that starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, who’s having an MVP caliber season, won’t play because of a sprained shoulder suffered last Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
“Jalen did everything he possibly could to get his body ready to go and, at the end of the day, he’s not going to be able to do it,” Sirianni said. “He tried like crazy. I know he still wants to go, that’s just the toughness that he (has). Jalen Hurts is the toughest player that I’ve ever been around.”
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Hurts didn’t practice either Tuesday or Wednesday. Minshew wasn’t at practice Tuesday either as he was attending the funeral of Mike Leach, Minshew’s college coach at Washington State.
But Minshew was back at practice Wednesday as the first-team quarterback. With a win over the Cowboys, the Eagles (13-1) can clinch the NFC East title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and the first-round bye. Even with a loss, the Eagles can still clinch both with a win or a Cowboys loss in the two games remaining after Saturday.
It’s possible that Minshew could play finish out the regular season as the Eagles will face New Orleans on Jan. 1 and the Giants on Jan. 8. If the Eagles clinch the No. 1 seed, their first playoff game wouldn’t be until the weekend of Jan. 21, which would give Hurts more than a month to heal.
Minshew has plenty of starting experience. He started 20 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars, earning the starting job as a rookie sixth-round pick in 2019 and keeping it for the following season. But the Jaguars drafted Trevor Lawrence in the spring of 2021, and the Eagles traded for Minshew that August.
Minshew started two games in place of Hurts last season, the first a crucial game for the Eagles’ playoff chances last Dec. 5 against the Jets. Hurts had sprained his ankle the week before, so Minshew led the Eagles to a 33-18 win. He completed 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Minshew also started the season finale against Dallas. But the Eagles had already clinched a playoff berth by then, so they decided to rest Hurts for the playoffs. Minshew was 19-for-33 for 186 yards with 2 TDs and an interception in the 51-26 loss.
And now, he’ll get another chance.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @MFranknfl.
