Jalen Hurts status in doubt vs. Dallas with shoulder sprain

MVP contender Jalen Hurts suffered a shoulder sprain against the Bears on Sunday and his status for Saturday’s game in Dallas is in doubt, NFL Network first reported the news.

Because of this, Gardner Minshew will likely get the call on Christmas Eve on a short week. But it’s not believed to be a long-term injury for Hurts, as he would miss at most two weeks.

In the third quarter Sunday, Hurts ran with the ball and was forced into the ground by Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson. All 263 pounds of him landed on top of the much smaller Hurts and drove his right shoulder into the cold grass. Hurts was slow to get up after that play and was eventually helped to his feet. He didn’t miss a snap the rest of the game.

Hurts ended up with 17 rushing attempts for 61 yards and 3 touchdowns. While there were some designed QB runs, there were a lot of zone-read plays where Hurts had to make the read and held on to the football.

In Minshew’s more critical start with the Eagles, they got a big win last season against the Jets in Week 13 at MetLife Stadium. Minshew completed 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Eagles’ 33-18 win. The only time Minshew has played this season has been late in blowouts against the Steelers, Titans, and Giants and he hasn’t been asked to do too much.

At least he is an experienced veteran and one of the best backups in the NFL.

However, if Hurts can’t play against the Cowboys, they would undoubtedly miss him.

And in my personal opinion, I would not play Hurts. Of course, this is the most anticipated matchup of the season and the number one seed in the NFC and the NFC East can be clinched, but why risk it? Hurts is the franchise. The Eagles still have two other chances outside of Saturday to clinch. I would rather clinch a different time than put the franchise quarterback at risk.

However, could you imagine…