Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts looks questionable for Week 18 against the New York Giants.
Head coach Nick Sirianni says the Hurts is trending in the right direction heading into Sunday’s game.
Nick Sirianni says Jalen Hurts is heading in the right direction and you’ll see how it goes today.
Looks like Jalen is on his way back on Sunday pic.twitter.com/9kkw2tsalx
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 6, 2023
This is positive news as Hurts has been out the last two games with a sprained right shoulder. He suffered the injury in their week 15 game against the Chicago Bears. Even with a bad shoulder, Hurts still threw for more than 300 yards and also rushed for three touchdowns. In his absence, backup quarterback Gradner Minshew has been filling in for the Eagles’ quarterback.
In his last two starts, Minshew has lost them both, but he hasn’t played poorly in either of those games. Minshew completed 57.9% of his passes, throwing three touchdowns to three interceptions in his two starts. However, the Eagles are a completely different team with Gardner Minshew as the starter. Minshew lacks the incredible running ability of Hurts, and the team must plan the game differently when he’s not on the field.
Hurts has simply been the best player on the Philadelphia Eagles, but he’s had some help running behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Also throwing at a gun like AJ Brown also has the advantages of him. Sophomore wide receiver DeVonta Smith has had a breakout season surpassing 1,000 receiving yards.
Hurts is having an MVP season and was considered the favorite for MVP. With his injury, Hurts is at +900 to win MVP according to NFL sportsbooks. Patrick Mahomes is the current favorite for MVP along with Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.
This offense, as a whole, is better when Jalen Hurts is under center. Philly also plays for the number one seed in the NFC, so being around for Hurts increases their chances of achieving that goal. The Eagles have +575 to go to the Super Bowl according to NFL sportsbooks. Getting Jalen Hurts healthy for the playoffs will definitely increase his chances.
