January 01, 2023
Jalen Hurts won't play Sunday against New Orleans, but if need be he is expected to be available against the Giants in Week 18, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Whether he actually does play, and if so, how much he plays, will be highly dependent on what the Eagles do against the Saints. At 13-2, just one more win secures the NFC East and the conference's top seed for home-field advantage and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
If they get it this week, a 1-2 series tuneup for Hurts isn't out of the question, but the starters will most likely rest in the regular-season finale.
If they fail, then Hurts is expected to start against New York and wrap things up.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will not play Sunday against the Saints but is expected to be available for Philadelphia's regular-season finale against the Giants, per sources.https://t.co/KKvFh5MFzS
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2023
Hurts sprained his throwing shoulder during the Week 15 win over the Bears in Chicago but stayed in to finish the game. He had X-rays done afterward, which confirmed the injury, but his status was mostly met with optimism from the Eagles.
"We'll see, one day at a time here," head coach Nick Sirianni said earlier this week. "I know how much he wanted to play last week, and how much he did to get his body ready. With Jalen, it's just his body heals different than yours and mine.
"He is going to do everything he can to get himself healthy and if he's healthy he'll play."
The third-year quarterback, in the midst of an MVP-caliber campaign, went on to miss Week 16 at Dallas, and though he won't play Sunday either, did return to practice this week in an encouraging sign that he will at least be ready to go for the playoffs.
In the meantime, backup Gardner Minshew will get another start against the Saints.
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