The Philadelphia Eagles will likely be without Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts for their Saturday matchup, giving gunslinger backup Gardner Minshew a prime opportunity to play in the upcoming game.
Hurts was injured during a Dec. 18 matchup against the Chicago Bears after Bears’ cornerback Jaylon Jones and linebacker Trevis Gipson tripped him up. Gipson appeared to crash down hard on Hurts’ right shoulder, which is his throwing arm.
Here’s the play where QB Jalen Hurts suffered his right shoulder injury
His stats after: 7-10 for 110 passing yards, 4 rushes for 11 yards and a TD
Full analysis⏩https://t.co/F0foxIeTTX#NFL #Eagles #FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/MJGxdXjPoi
— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) December 19, 2022
After missing practice all week long, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Hurts is not expected to play Saturday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That opens the door for Minshew to be Philadelphia’s starting QB in week 16.
Minshew will have an opportunity to secure Philadelphia the number one seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) — if the team can pull out a win. The Eagles will have the home advantage all through the postseason, and they’ll also have a bye-week for Wild Card weekend if Minshew is able to lead Philly to victory.
With that said, a lot rides on Minshew’s performance if he’s pulled up for Saturday’s game. (RELATED: Former MVP QB Matt Ryan Benched For Second Time In 2022 Season Following Historical Loss)
If you love and support the United States of America, Minshew should be an easy player to root for come Saturday. Over the offseason, Minshew posted a super cool minute-long video of him slinging the football around in American flag-style shorts to the song “Real American” by Rick Derringer.
It’s as badass as any video you’ll ever see.
La Flama Blanca. pic.twitter.com/OtEYQTO0sk
— Gardner Minshew (@GardnerMinshew5) July 11, 2021
Minshew is as entertaining as any athlete in the world today, if you ask me.
Another video surfaced in January of Minshew playing around with a samurai sword, as if he were preparing for battle — or for this very moment almost a year later.
Gardner Minshew is a national treasure pic.twitter.com/XqXWey9lIh
— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) January 27, 2022
Considering how cool Minshew is, I’m rooting for him hard this weekend. He’s just the kind of player it feels impossible to root against.
Minshew has played great throughout his four seasons in the NFL, tossing an astounding 41 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions. I believe he’s better than most quarterbacks in the NFL. His swagger and cannon of an arm sets him apart from other QBs who are in the middle of the pack.
I don’t think there’s a better backup in the league than Minshew. It’s unclear how long Hurts will be out for, but if it’s for an extended period of time, I believe Minshew is fully capable of holding it down until he comes back.