Jalen Hurts’ Injury Provides Another Test Of Philadelphia Eagles Ecosystem In Week 17

The Philadelphia Eagles are likely to once again be without the services of quarterback Jalen Hurts in Week 17 as they attempt to clinch the number one seed in the NFC, with the visit of a New Orleans Saints team still in the mix for the NFC South set to serve as another examination of the ecosystem they have built.

Hurts, who missed last Saturday’s defeat to the Dallas Cowboys with a shoulder injury, was listed as doubtful for the New Year’s Day game against New Orleans.

That means backup Gardner Minshew is poised to get another start under center once more, after going extremely close to pulling off the upset in Dallas on Christmas Eve.

Minshew threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and had the ball in the final seconds with a chance to lead the Eagles to a game-winning touchdown before Dallas’ defense ultimately clinched a 40-34 win for the Cowboys.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars signal-caller was able to harness the big-play upside of the Philadelphia offense through connections with DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, but he consistently forced his receivers to win 50-50 balls and his two interceptions led to 10 points for the Cowboys.

Minshew will put the ball in harm’s way and, though the Saints’ defense is not the force of years past, New Orleans still has a group that could take advantage of any such carelessness. New Orleans’ defense ranks 11th in Football Outsiders’ weighted DVOA, which gives more weight to recent matchups, suggesting the Saints have improved on that side of the ball of late.

With Brown, Smith and Dallas Goedert at this disposal as passing game weapons and Miles Sanders a dynamic option in the backfield running behind arguably the finest offensive line in football, Minshew has everything he needs at his disposal to limit such mistakes.

He will also be supported by a defense that is fifth in DVOA and seventh in weighted DVOA and will theoretically have little issue stopping a Saints offense that has too often been anaemic in 2022.

The Saints, though, proved they still have enough on their roster to win games against quarterbacks playing at a backup level in fighting back to beat Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns last week.

Philadelphia is much better-equipped to overcome replacement-level quarterback play having assembled perhaps the finest roster in the NFL.

What Minshew produced against Dallas was a tick above replacement level but, after coming up short against the Cowboys, the Eagles’ offensive performance in a decent test versus the Saints will reveal much about the surrounding talent’s ability to lift its quarterback should it be required to do so again in the significantly more pressurised arena of the postseason.