Eagles chances at clinching first-round bye next week just took a major hit

The Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of clinching the top seed in the NFC took a major hit due to a massive injury.

The Philadelphia Eagles have been flying atop the NFC standings, with no signs of slowing down. In Week 15, the team held off a superstar performance from Justin Fields to defeat the Chicago Bears 25-20 to improve to 13-1 on the year.

With this game in the books, the Eagles began preparation to play the rival Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve. If the Eagles are to win, they will clinch a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs. It appears their chances have taken a hit.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo, quarterback Jalen Hurts is uncertain to play in Week 16 due to a sprained throwing shoulder suffered in the Bears game. While the injury isn’t considered long-term, the team wants him to be fully healthy before he returns to play.

The injury occurred in the third quarter of the Bears game, when he was tackled and driven into the ground by Bears defensive lineman Trevis Gipson.

In the game, Hurts threw for 315 yards and two interceptions, but ran for 61 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.

Who is the Eagles backup quarterback?

With Hurts’ injury, Rapoport, Pelissero, and Garafolo say that there is a strong chance that backup Gardner Minshew would get the start in Hurts’ place.

Minshew has had some starting experience with the Eagles since arriving to the team in 2021. He started in two games in 2021, including a 33-18 win over the New York Jets. In those two starts, Minshew completed 39-of-58 pass attempts for 428 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

Eagles QB depth chart

Let’s take a look at Philadelphia’s full quarterback depth chart behind Hurts:

1. Jalen Hurts
2. Gardner Minshew
3. Ian Book

If Minshew were to leave Saturday’s game for any reason, then it would be Ian Book taking over. Book is the former starting quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In his four years playing for the team, Book threw for 8,948 yards, 72 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions while completing 63.8 percent of his passes.

Book was a fourth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in the 2021 NFL Draft. Book started in Week 16 of his rookie season against the Miami Dolphins, where he completed 12-of-20 pass attempts for 135 yards while throwing two interceptions in the 20-3 loss.

The Eagles claimed Book off waivers this past August.