The Eagles are doing the smart thing right now.
In the midst of an impressive season, things went south in a hurry last Sunday, when QB Jalen Hurts, the frontrunner for the NFL MVP Award, injured his throwing shoulder in the second half against the Bears. We didn’t know he was hurt at the time, because he finished off Philly’s 25-20 victory.
But after the game, everyone’s heart skipped a beat when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Hurts could miss this week’s game against the Cowboys. Fortunately, it turns out the injury isn’t as bad as once feared and it looks like it won’t keep him out of the lineup in the long term.
On Thursday, the Eagles officially announced that Hurts won’t play on Saturday afternoon. Good. There’s no reason for him to be in uniform, not with Philly holding a comfortable three-game division lead with three games left in the season. The Birds also have a two-game advantage and the tiebreaker over the Vikings for the NFC’s top seed.
Let Hurts cool his heels and mend properly, even if it does cost him the MVP (more on that later). The team is in pretty good hands because their backup QB and the man under center against Dallas will be none other than Gardner Minshew.
Anyone else getting flashbacks to 2018? It was before the pandemic, so I understand if your memory is hazy.
Carson Wentz (remember him?!) was in the middle of an MVP-caliber campaign when he suffered a knee injury against the Rams. He missed the remainder of the season and things looked bleak for the Eagles, who were considered a strong Super Bowl contender.
That’s when Nick Foles stepped in and guided Philly to the Lombardi Trophy. Is Minshew the next guy to come through in a pinch?
For whatever reason, Minshew has been mocked a bit in the national media as just a guy. Maybe it’s his eclectic wardrobe choices and his willingness to not take himself seriously. But look at his stats: He has a 63.2 percent career completion percentage, 41 touchdown passes and just 12 interceptions over 30 games. Those aren’t Pro Bowl numbers, but that’s enough skill to get a team through a rough patch.
And let’s say the Eagles fall short against the Cowboys this week. OK, fine. Minshew is good enough, if Hurts isn’t ready to return, to lead the Eagles to wins over their following two opponents: the Saints and Giants. And both of those games are at home.
So strap on a headband and enjoy the show. Minshew Mania is about to take over the City of Brotherly Love.
NFL’S TOP 10
- Eagles – I’ve complimented this team a lot this season, but I’m not the only one who’s impressed. Philly topped the NFL with eight Pro Bowl selections. And if you look closely, three of their offensive linemen received nods: guard Landon Dickerson, tackle Lane Johnson and center Jason Kelce. If you’re looking for a reason why the Eagles are 13-1, there’s a big one. It all starts up front and no team has been better than this bunch.
- Bills – Josh Allen might be back in the MVP mix after seemingly fading out of the race. He’ll have to finish real strong, because I have a feeling that voters will default to Patrick Mahomes if Hurts doesn’t play over the next few weeks. Allen should be able to put up numbers against the Bears this week, but the final two games against the Bengals and Patriots will be more of a challenge.
- 49ers – The only reason I don’t have this team ranked above the Bills is because they’re using a third-string quarterback. And as good as Brock Purdy has been thus far, I’m still waiting for the bottom to fall out. Maybe it will never happen, who knows. But there isn’t a team in the league that wants to face the Niners. That defense is so much fun to watch.
- Chiefs – I’m having creeping doubts about this squad and I can’t seem to put my finger on it. Maybe it’s the Chiefs seemingly playing down to their competition, like they did last week against the Texans. It’s also possible I’m making too big a deal of this. They’re 11-3 after all, and are in a good spot to grab the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
- Bengals – Look at who’s in first place! Cincy has taken advantage of Baltimore’s injury issues to push past them in the AFC North. Would you say this is an elite team? That’s debatable, but they control their own fate in the division, which is more than I can say for the next team in these rankings.
- Cowboys – I’d like to say I was surprised they lost against the Jaguars, but I had a weird feeling that might happen. Don’t believe me? Allow me to quote myself: “Dallas didn’t look good last week and they better not sleep on Jacksonville. The Cowboys are favored by 4 on the road. I’m really tempted to put some money on the Jags.” In case you’re wondering, I didn’t put money on the Jags. And I’m still kicking myself.
- Vikings – I’ve been doubting this team all season. And honestly, I’m still doubting them. But what they did to erase a 33-point lead against the Colts was just magical. They might be eventually exposed as frauds, but I won’t actively root against Minnesota the rest of the way.
- Dolphins – I’m not a moral victory guy, but the way Miami battled in horrible weather up in Buffalo impressed me. They looked good offensively after a few ugly performances. But it wasn’t enough to save Tua Tagovailoa, who got snubbed for the Pro Bowl. Bummer. Maybe next year.
- Ravens – No Lamar Jackson again this week. The good news is, they’re playing the Falcons. With Tyler Huntley at quarterback, they should have enough talent to get a win and possibly clinch a playoff berth if they get a little help elsewhere. But until Jackson returns, you can’t really take this team seriously as a contender.
- Lions – Speaking of teams nobody wants to play, how ‘bout them Lions?!
WHAT’S THE CHATTER?
Titan down: It didn’t seem like Tennessee was trending in the right direction before last week. Then they lost QB Ryan Tannehill to an ankle injury, which will force rookie Malik Willis into action. They’re hanging to their lead in the AFC South by a thread. In fact, Jacksonville and its 6-8 record are now the betting favorites to win the division. It could all come down to the Week 18 game between these two teams. That should be fun, and sad at the same time.
Big money: Looks like the league is moving their Sunday Ticket package to Google/YouTube. That’s fine with me. I don’t care where my cash goes, just give me easy access to the games on Sundays. By the way, the deal is for a cool $2.5 billion a year. It’s no wonder why billionaires are desperate to get their hands on an NFL franchise. It’s a cash register.
I made my peace with it: People are getting excited because the Packers might not be out of the playoff race. They’re currently two games back with a 6-8 record. I’m not a fan of this development. I think this season’s playoffs will be just fine with Aaron Rodgers and his giant bucket of nonsense. Maybe take January off. Go hiking or whatever it is he does when nobody’s looking.
He’s still around? Speaking of Nick Foles, did you know he was with the Colts? I had totally forgotten until I saw the news that he’s starting on Monday night. Glad he’s still getting a paycheck, but here’s hoping he doesn’t get hurt.
APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 16
Bills at Bears: The Josh Allen MVP redemption tour kicks off. Hopefully, Chicago doesn’t injure another trophy candidate.
Texans at Titans: Houston is currently 1-21-1, and yet they played tough against the Cowboys and the Chiefs over the last two weeks. Would you be surprised if they got past the sinking Titans? Me neither.
Seahawks at Chiefs: Speaking of sinking ships, this might be the game that pops Seattle’s hull. They’ve dropped out of the playoff bubble and a loss here might be terminal.
Giants at Vikings: No lead is safe against Minnesota! Then again, after making NFL history last week, it would be apropos if they laid an egg in this game. Don’t worry, I’m not rooting for it to happen. Just saying it would be fitting.
Bengals at Patriots: You ever wonder if Bill Belichick is going to step down soon? How much longer will he want to coach a middling team?
Lions at Panthers: Detroit is must-see TV the rest of the way. When was the last time anyone said that?
Falcons at Ravens: A win here would ease a lot of tension in Baltimore. It won’t be easy, especially with rough weather in the forecast.
Commanders at 49ers: Washington has the kind of defensive talent that could rattle Brock Purdy. Good thing the Niners get this game at home.
Eagles at Cowboys: Easily the game of the week. Too bad Jalen Hurts won’t be out there, but Minshew is a good understudy. Expect to see a lot of emotion out of Big D. They want this win bad.
Packers at Dolphins: Miami can more or less sink Green Bay’s postseason dreams with a win. Won’t be upset if it happens.
Broncos at Rams: Remember when we all thought this would be an awesome game? Seems like a lifetime ago.
NFL Analyst
Currently a Mobile Editor at Yahoo, Saraf spent 5.5 years (Oct. 2010 – Feb. 2016) working for FOX Sports as an NFL Editor and Writer. Prior to that, Saraf worked for CBS Interactive for 4.5 years (May 2006 – Oct. 2010) as a Staff Editor.