PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has not been ruled out to play Saturday against the Cowboys, even as the NFL MVP candidate deals with a sprained right shoulder.
Hurts injured his throwing shoulder when he was driven into the ground on a tackle in a win over Chicago on Sunday that moved the Eagles to 13-1. Hurts was diagnosed with the shoulder injury on Monday.
“I do not put it past Jalen Hurts, I don’t put anything past Jalen Hurts as far as his physical and mental toughness,” coach Nick Sirianni said Tuesday. “There’s a chance he can play this week.”
Hurts said Tuesday it was “business as usual” and there was “definitely a chance” he could play against Dallas. He took several big hits against the Bears and landed hard on his shoulder when he was tackled by defensive tackle Travis Gipson.
“I knew when it happened,” Hurts said. “I don’t want to talk about myself. It took a lot of grit, it took some courage, it took the people around me. We have a ton of guys that have to play through things.”
The 24-year-old morphed into a serious NFL MVP candidate in his second season as a starter. Hurts has thrown 22 touchdowns and has 3,472 yards passing, and he has rushed for 747 yards and 13 touchdowns.
“We will play him when he’s ready to play,” Sirianni said. “If that’s this week, it’s this week. If it’s next week, it’s next week. When Jalen’s ready to play, he’s ready to play. All aspects of it.”
The Eagles need one more win to clinch the NFC East and secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They would turn to backup QB Gardner Minshew to start against Dallas if Hurts isn’t ready to play.
“I think the best thing for me is being ready to play,” Hurts said.
Hurts’ 35 total touchdowns this season tied the franchise record set by Randall Cunningham in 1990. He threw two interceptions against the Bears after throwing only three total all season. But he rushed for three touchdowns for the second time in his career. He went 22-of-37 passing for 315 yards in Sunday’s 25-21 win.
“It’s not the first time I’ve had things I’ve had to overcome,” Hurts said. “Nothing changes about this other than the publicity of it. The mentality of this team, it’s truly about just being ready go into Saturday. It’s going to take everybody like it does every week.”
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