The significance of the injury for the Eagles is explained by Dan Orlovsky. There is a time and a place for it. With the Philadelphia Eagles facing the Dallas Cowboys in their biggest game of the year on Saturday, there are signs that backup quarterback Gardner Minshew is going to get the start. During the third quarter of Sunday's 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears, Hurts was injured when he was rammed into the Soldier Field turf by a defensive tackle. On the very next play, he connected with DeVonta Smith on an out route. He hit A.J. Brown. If Hurts is out for Week 16, what does that mean for the Eagles? There are no alarms going off inside the Eagles' NovaCare Complex about Hurts' long-term availability. He needs to get strength and function in his throwing arm for the playoffs. Can the Rams and Packers rebound in 23?
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If the Eagles win their final three games, they will be the top seed in the playoffs. They had a good chance to finish with the top seed and a bye in the playoffs.
They don't want to have any drama. A win over Dallas Sunday locks them in and allows coach Nick Sirianni to rest his starters for the last two weeks of the season.
Minshew might be trying to get Philadelphia's positioning for the playoffs.
In spot duty, Minshew has excelled. In a 33-18 win over the New York Jets in December of last year, he went 20-of-26 for 242 yards and two scores. Since his last meaningful action, the roster has been upgraded due to Brown's play. Dallas Goedert has a chance to come back from a shoulder injury.
Minshew doesn't have to worry about taking too much on his own shoulders because he's behind one of the best offensive lines in football.
Minshew's likely first start of the season is not ideal. The Cowboys have the second-best pass defense in the league with an average of 198.6 yards per game. He will have a lot of things to do.
Lane Johnson thinks the pass-rush unit is the best in the league. There is a dynamic player in the middle of the field. All those guys are defensive ends. They are no joke. They play well.
Hurts is doing a performance at anMVP clip. He has 13 rush touchdown, just one behind the all-time single-season leader for quarterbacks, CamNewton, and his improvement as a passer has made the Eagles offense explode.
Minshew is well-equipped for success. The offensive line ranks seventh in pass-block win rate and Brown and Smith are the highest-rated receiver combo.
Hurts has accomplished a lot this year. Minshew has proven that he can get the job done with 41 career touchdown to 12 interception and 22 starts. He's been set up well for a supporting cast.
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