Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew will make his first start of the 2022 season in a critical divisional game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Gardner Minshew will start Saturday in Dallas
Nick Sirianni says Jalen Hurts did everything he could. Nick feels it’s best to let Jalen rest and rehabilitate.
“He’s the toughest motherfucker I’ve ever met” pic.twitter.com/OapxXZgOiH
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 22, 2022
Head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t expect starter Jalen Hurts to play Saturday. Hurts suffered a sprained shoulder in last week’s game. This sets up Minshew to be under center. Sirianni also said Hurts did everything he could to play, but he believes rest and rehab will help his chances to play next week.
The Eagles are in a good place with a 13-1 record and need just one more win to clinch the number one seed in the NFC. Their schedule of playing Dallas in Dallas may be tough, but Philly has confidence in Minshew. He has been a capable starter in his time playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Minshew started 12 games for the Jaguars in 2019 and went 6-6. In those starts, Minshew threw for 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, very respectable numbers. In 2020, however, Minshew did not play well. He started 8 games and went 1-7. Although his stats weren’t too bad, Minshew has been the Eagles’ backup ever since.
He started two games last year in relief of Jalen Hurts and went 1-1 throwing 4 touchdowns and one interception.
This is by far the best team Minshew has played for in his career. You are set up for success. If he plays well enough, he could be considered another starting opportunity for a team in need of a quarterback. Hurts may not be able to play next week. If that’s the case, Minshew will be ready to start against the New Orleans Saints, an easier game than Dallas.
However, the Dallas Cowboys are favored by 5.5 points according to NFL betting sites. This is because Minshew is a less dynamic player than Jalen Hurts, at the same time that he takes home court advantage into account.
