UPDATED on Friday, 12/23/22, at 4:14 p.m. Eastern: Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts has been ruled ‘out’ of Saturday’s game at Dallas. The Cowboys are 4.5-point favorites at most books.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered a sprained shoulder in the third quarter of Sunday’s 25-20 win at Chicago. His status for Saturday’s game at Dallas is “uncertain.”
The injury is not believed to be long term. If Hurts can’t go, Gardner Minshew will get his first start of the season.
Hurts has enjoyed a spectacular breakout year. In 14 games, he’s led the Eagles to a 13-1 straight-up record and an 8-6 against-the-spread mark. The former standout QB at both the University of Alabama and the University of Oklahoma has completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 3,472 yards with a 22/5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Hurts has also produced 747 rushing yards, 13 TDs and a 4.8 yards-per-carry average. In Sunday’s win over the Bears, he connected on 22-of-37 throws for 315 yards despite being intercepted twice. Hurts made up for the turnovers by rushing for 61 yards and three TDs.
Minshew has only played in three games this year, completing 2-of-4 passes for 34 yards. However, he has started 22 games during his four-year career.
As a rookie for Jacksonville in 2019, Minshew started 12 of 14 games. He completed 285-of-470 passes (60.6%) for 3,271 yards with an excellent 21/6 TD-INT ratio. Minshew often found himself under heavy pressure, but he managed 344 rushing yards and a 5.1 YPC average. He led Jacksonville to a 6-6 record in his 12 starts.
In 2020, Minshew started eight of nine games for the Jaguars. The Washington State product, who played his final season of college ball in the late/great Mike Leach’s pass-happy offensive attack, connected on 66.1 percent of his throws for 2,259 yards with a 16/5 TD-INT ratio. He had 153 rushing yards, one TD and a 5.3 YPC average.
And, lest we forget, those were extremely mediocre Jacksonville squads that the young QB produced for despite having minimal talent around him. Following his second season, the Jags traded Minshew to the Eagles after drafting Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Minshew got a pair of starts in four games played for Philadelphia last season. He completed 41-of-60 passes (68.3%) for 439 yards and four TDs compared to only one interception. The Eagles went 1-1 in his two starts. For his career, Minshew a 41/12 TD-INT ratio.
DraftKings had Dallas installed as a one-point home favorite when it released look-ahead lines last Tuesday. When the number opened on Sunday afternoon, most books had the Cowboys listed as one or 1.5-point ‘chalk.’
Before Hurts’s injury was announced Monday afternoon, most betting shops had Philadelphia listed as a two or 2.5-point road underdog. After Schefter’s tweet was sent out, the line quickly moved to 3.5 points before going to five less than 30 minutes later and eventually landing at six.
The total had been in the 50.5 to 51.5-point range, but it’s now been reduced down into the 46-47 neighborhood. The ‘over’ had been on a 7-1 run for the Eagles until Sunday’s 45 combined points fell ‘under’ the 48-point tally in Sunday’s win at Chicago. The ‘over’ has hit in four consecutive Dallas games and six of its last seven to improve to 7-6-1 overall.
Dallas owns a 7-1 SU record and a 5-3 ATS mark in eight home games, while Philadelphia is undefeated in seven road assignments with a 2-5 spread ledger. The Eagles are going to be in their first game as underdogs all year. They’ve been favored by at least five points in 13 of 14 games this season, with the lone exception being -2.5 in their 24-7 home win over the Vikings in Week 2.
When these teams met at Philadelphia on Oct. 16, the Eagles won a 26-17 decision as 6.5-point home favorites. The 43 combined points inched ‘over’ the 42.5-point total.