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Jalen Hurts was officially ruled inactive about 90 minutes prior to kickoff in Week 17. Gardner Minshew will start at quarterback as the Philadelphia Eagles look to clinch the NFC’s top seed and the NFC East crown. All they have to do is beat the New Orleans Saints on New Year’s Day.
Meanwhile, Hurts made headlines for what he was wearing on his way into the stadium on Sunday. The 24-year-old strutted down the runway in a green Bel Air Academy basketball jersey, an obvious nod to Will Smith’s iconic character in the hit TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Hurts had the whole gameday fit going on, including the flipped-up neon yellow baseball cap.
Hurts was dealing with a sprained right shoulder which caused him to miss a second straight week. The injury isn’t considered too serious as the dual-threat quarterback is expected back for the postseason. In fact, Hurts was almost cleared to play against New Orleans after a strong week of limited practices. Head coach Nick Sirianni just didn’t see quite enough to risk throwing the face of the franchise out there.
“Everything matters with how he’s feeling and what we feel like the timetable is and what the doctors are saying,” Sirianni told reporters. “Obviously the first and foremost thing that’s most important for Jalen is that his health is always taken into consideration first and if it’s safe for him to be out there. Then from there, then you do what’s best for the team, but you first do what’s best for the individual.”
Eagles Activate Punter Brett Kern from Practice Squad
The Eagles activated punter Brett Kern from the practice squad roughly 24 hours prior to Sunday’s game. The three-time Pro Bowler replaced injured starter Arryn Siposs for a third straight week. Kern didn’t attempt a kick last versus Dallas, but he booted two punts for 90 yards the previous week against Chicago. The 36-year-old veteran was released by the Tennessee Titans coming out of training camp after undrafted rookie Ryan Stonehouse won the starting job. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2019.
Eagles special-teams coordinator Michael Clay was asked to evaluate Kern and he honed in on the ongoing chemistry he’s been building with long snapper Rick Lovato and kicker Jake Elliott. The team is confident he can get the job done if and when he gets more opportunities.
“Brett, you don’t just get a 14-year career for being average,” Clay told reporters on December 27. “Brett has been awesome with the guys, getting that chemistry with Rick [Lovato] and Jake [Elliott] in terms of the operation for field goal because you can see how important three points is or an extra point is nowadays, especially in bad-weather games across the league. Mother Nature is undefeated, and guys had to go through it.
“But Brett has been awesome, communicating, learning more about him more than anything else, what he feels comfortable about, what his go-to ball is and everything, he’s been outstanding. He’s been a real pleasure to have in our room just to plug and play.”
Jack Driscoll Takes Over for Lane Johnson
Jack Driscoll – a player selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft – was tabbed to start in place of Lane Johnson against New Orleans. The third-year man was spotted warming up on the field and participating in blocking drills next to right guard Isaac Seumalo. Johnson is out with a torn abductor that he is not getting surgery on. He’ll rehab and attempt to return for the playoffs.
“He’s one of the toughest guys we’ve ever been around,” Sirianni said of Johnson. “Obviously, it says a lot about how he cares about his teammates, who he is as a teammate, and you know he’s in pain, that he’s just going to do whatever he needs to do to get himself ready to play, and that’s for his teammates. Speaks of his toughness and his desire to connect and how much all his teammates mean to him.”
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