The New Orleans Saints haven’t even kicked off their Week 16 game and some eyes are already being drawn towards Week 17’s matchup. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday evening that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is “uncertain to play” against the Saints next week while managing a sprained throwing shoulder.
Hurts has already been ruled out for the Eagles’ game with the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night, with veteran backup Gardner Minshew tabbed to start in his place. Philadelphia leads the NFC with a 13-1 record and only needs one more win to clinch the conference’s top playoff seed, guaranteeing homefield advantage and a lucrative bye week. So they aren’t exactly feeling any pressure to rush Hurts back into the lineup, even if a win over New Orleans in Week 17 would improve the draft pick Philadelphia will receive from the Saints in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Saints are just hoping to tread water and get out of their snowbound game with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon with a win. A loss would drop them to 5-10 and all-but doom their own playoff odds — or at least put their fortunes on the shoulders of Arizona Cardinals third-string quarterback Trace McSorley, who is scheduled to duel Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night in a game that could eliminate New Orleans from the postseason hunt.
We risk overlooking an immediate opponent in doing it, but Saints fans should be hoping to face Minshew next week, not Hurts. New Orleans guarded Minshew well when they faced him a few years back during a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, limiting him to 14-of-29 as a passer for 163 yards and an interception (sacking him twice). Hurst, meanwhile, has beaten the Saints twice in two years while completing 30 of 54 passes for 314 yards and a touchdown, also gaining 175 yards on 36 rushing attempts and scoring 3 touchdown runs (he’s been sacked 3 times, also losing a fumble).
Maybe Minshew performs better with a stronger supporting cast, but Hurts has proven himself to be a terrible matchup for the usually-stout Saints defense. Either way, we’re getting ahead of ourselves; let’s just see how well the Saints play against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson on Saturday before worrying too much about what’s up next.
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