Philadelphia’s dream season took a turn on Monday as news trickled out that NFL MVP candidate Jalen Hurts, the Eagles starting QB, could be sidelined for Saturday’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles, sitting with a league best 13-1 regular season record, would turn to backup QB Gardner Minshew if Hurts cannot play.
News of the Hurts injury caused Pennsylvania Online Sports Betting outlets such as FanDuel and DraftKings to move the line considerably in the Cowboys’ favor. After starting betting with a spread of the Eagles as slight underdogs at +1, bookmakers moved the line to Eagles +6 after news broke of Hurts’ sprained shoulder.
The point total also took a drastic hit as the state’s sportsbooks opening at 51 points, but even that has moved down to 46 points at DraftKings. With the expectation that Minshew starts at QB, bookmakers believe the high-powered Eagles offense will not score as many points with the former Jacksonville quarterback under center.
The breakout third NFL season for Hurts has been a revelation as the Philly QB has thrown for 3,472 yards and 22 TDs in 2022 leading him to become the NFL MVP favorite.
The Eagles signal caller has also rushed for 747 yards, just 37 yards shy of his career high, along with 13 TDs. In 2021, Hurts rushed for 784 yards and 10 TDs in 15 games. After the injury to Hurts’ throwing shoulder, the quarterback stayed in the game and delivered a 68-yard TD strike to WR AJ Brown to secure the victory.
