Jalen Hurts 'Mind Games'? Dallas Cowboys Falling for Eagles QB Trick?

FRISCO - The Philadelphia Eagles still are not ruling out quarterback Jalen Hurts for their Christmas Eve game against the Dallas Cowboys.

So Hurts might play in the game.

Or ... the Eagles are simply playing "mind games.''

The approach of the 13-1 Eagles to this NFC showdown is clever in that it's making the most of a bad situation. Hurts has a sprained throwing shoulder, and Philly is obliged to inform the NFL of that.

But the Eagles are allowed to keep a mystery as to how long he will be out, including as to whether he will play at the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve.

All indications are that Hurts will sit in favor of Gardner Minshew. But coach Nick Sirianni's suggestion that Hurts is somehow super-human and could recover by Saturday forces the 10-4 Cowboys to prepare for the possibility.

And the longer Philly keeps its secret, the more Dallas must waste time readying for two different QBs.

“I don’t put anything past Jalen Hurts as far as his mental and physical toughness,” Sirianni said. “There’s a chance he could play this week. He is one of the toughest guys I know, and he heals fast. He’s a freak. His body is not like yours or mine.''

"I will not rule him out, will not put a timetable on him, and we’ll see.''

At some point soon, though, the "timetable'' will be in play. There will be a "final'' injury status report from both teams on Thursday, and even if Hurts isn't ruled out then, there will be a 90-minutes-before-kickoff "game-time decision.''

Is this all "gamesmanship''?

The Cowboys tried to do something akin to this last week before the OT loss at Jacksonville by avoiding saying too much about the plan to play Tyron Smith at right tackle. This week, Kelvin Joseph's poor play against the Jags opens up the possibility of a similar "mystery'' at cornerback.

But Jacksonville didn't have to "prepare'' for a right tackle, and Philadelphia doesn't have to "prepare'' for a cornerback, in the same way teams must adjust depending on who is the QB.

Hurts is downplaying the overall issue, saying, “It’s not the first time I’ve had dings I’ve had to overcome, been in these types of situations,” Hurts said. “It just so happens to be public.''

"Public'' ... yet also private, for as long as the Eagles can keep it that way.

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