PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 02: Haason Reddick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field on October 2, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Jalen Hurts may be out for the next two weeks, but the Philadelphia Eagles still have a chance to win against the Dallas Cowboys due to other Eagles stars.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the next two weeks due to a shoulder injury, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time: when the Eagles are set to face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16.
The Eagles do have the No. 1 playoff seed and are unlikely to be usurped, even if Hurts sits out against Dallas and the New Orleans Saints. That’s because the Eagles are two wins ahead of the No. 2 seed Minnesota Vikings, and they’re three wins ahead of the 10-4 Cowboys. It would take a lot to overcome Philadelphia, not only because they’ve got a sizable lead, but because the team is strong through and through.
That is the reason the Eagles have been lauded throughout the season: they have remained one of the most balanced units throughout the entire 2022 season. Even if it seemed that NFC East teams opened up the year with easy schedules, the Eagles have spent the past four months proving that they can overcome virtually every team — except for that one loss to the Washington Commanders.
Still, this is a team that can win big with Jalen Hurts, but it can also win without him. Here are three primary reasons why the Eagles can survive a key NFC East showdown against the Cowboys without their franchise star.
3 reasons Eagles can still beat the Cowboys without Jalen Hurts
3. The Eagles defense won’t allow a Cowboys win
Week in and week out, the Eagles defense has been the perfect counterpart to Hurts’ unstoppable offense. Against the Tennessee Titans, this defense held Derrick Henry to just 30 yards and sacked Ryan Tannehill six times — the same amount of times they sacked Justin Fields on Sunday.
Even if the offense doesn’t score much on Sunday, the defense is prepared to hold Dak Prescott and the Cowboys in what will be one of the toughest games for Dallas all year.
Although Philadelphia is losing a key offensive player, the defense is plenty prepared to handle the next two weeks without Hurts.