Eagles to start Gardner Minshew at quarterback against the Cowboys
"Gardner will be our guy and Gardner will be ready," head coach Nick Sirianni said.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed on Thursday that Gardner Minshew will start at quarterback when the Birds face the Cowboys on Christmas Eve.
Hurts suffered a sprained right shoulder during Sunday's game against the Bears.
Sirianni said Hurts "tried like crazy" to be ready for Saturday's division matchup, but said it was the best thing that Hurts doesn't play this week.
"Gardner will be our guy and Gardner will be ready. Gardner worked his butt off for this opportunity against a really good football team," Sirianni said.
The 13-1 Eagles need just one more win to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Hurts' injury occurred at the end of the third quarter Sunday in the Eagles' victory over the Chicago Bears when he was driven into the ground by defensive lineman Trevis Gipson following a 3-yard run.
Hurts stayed on the ground for a few moments following the hit but continued playing and finished the game. He threw for 315 yards with two interceptions and ran for 61 yards and three scores in the 25-20 victory.
Hurts ran the ball a team-high 17 times Sunday. The Bears registered 13 quarterback hits on him, the third-highest total in Week 15, per ESPN Stats & Information research. His 184 QB contacts on the season are the third most, behind only Justin Fields of the Bears (202) and Daniel Jones of the New York Giants (186).
This news came just hours after Hurts, and seven other Eagles, were selected for the Pro Bowl Games.
