Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will not play Sunday against the Saints but is expected to be available for Philadelphia’s regular-season finale against the Giants, league sources told ESPN.
Whether and how much Hurts plays in Week 18 will be heavily influenced by what happens Sunday against the Saints.
If the Eagles beat the Saints, they will lock up the NFC’s No. 1 seed and not have to play Hurts the following Sunday against New York. But Philadelphia could decide to get Hurts, who is dealing with a sprained SC joint in his right shoulder, a brief tuneup next Sunday before having its bye in the wild-card round and hosting a game in the divisional round.
But if the Eagles fail to beat the Saints and do not secure the No. 1 seed Sunday, then Hurts would be expected to play against the Giants, according to league sources.
“He’s ready to go for next week,” one source told ESPN.
The Eagles have no worries about Hurts’ availability and effectiveness for the playoffs, according to a source. He returned to practice this past week, and the team was impressed with the velocity and accuracy of his throws.
The Eagles (13-2) have extra motivation to win Sunday’s home game — they also can hand another loss to the Saints (6-9), who owe Philadelphia their 2023 first-round draft pick thanks to a trade that the teams made last spring. The pick currently sits at No. 9 overall, and another Saints loss would improve the chances of that pick ending up inside the top 10.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew will make his second straight start Sunday for the Eagles with Hurts inactive for a second straight week. Hurts also missed last Saturday’s 40-34 loss to the Cowboys while Minshew got the start, going 24 of 40 for 355 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
