Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts, literally. The Philadelphia Eagles’ QB1 has been listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints (6-9). Hurts, who injured his throwing shoulder on Dec. 18 against the Chicago Bears, did not play in last week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys but did practice on Thursday.
Should Hurts not be able to go, it will be Gardner Minshew back under center for Philadelphia. Minshew was 25-of-40 for 355 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions in Week 16.
With the playoffs two weeks away, the Eagles are 13-2 and hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If that holds, they will have a first-round bye. Get well soon, Jalen!
Joey Bosa and the Los Angeles Chargers
He’s baaack. After returning to practice on Thursday, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said the plan is for defensive lineman Joey Bosa to be active on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams (5-6).
Bosa underwent surgery on his groin in Week 3 and told reporters on this week that feels the best he has in “years.” The Chargers are 9-6 and currently hold the No. 5 seed in the playoffs for the AFC.
The Battle for LA Football (if that’s actually a thing), takes place at 1:25 pm PT on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, with the Chargers being the home team. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
Who’s In and Who’s out for Week 17
- Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remains in the concussion protocol and will not play in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. Teddy Bridgewater will start at quarterback for the Dolphins.
- Meanwhile for the Patriots, rookie Marcus Jones, who has been playing cornerback, receiver, kickoff returner and punt returner, will be out for the game with a concussion.
- The Washington Commanders will be fighting for their playoff lives on Sunday, but they will be doing it without running back Antonio Gibson, who has been ruled out with leg injuries. The Commanders host the Cleveland Browns Sunday at 1 pm ET/10 am PT.
- It looks like the Baltimore Ravens will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday with Tyler Huntley at quarterback. Lamar Jackson (knee) has missed 12 straight practices. The Ravens are 2-1 in Jackson’s absence.
Magic-Pistons Brawl Leads to Suspensions
A Wednesday night kerfuffle in Detroit has led to multiple suspensions from the NBA.
It all started when the Orlando Magic’s Moritz Wagner gave the Detroit Pistons’ Killian Hayes a hip-check into his bench. Then Hayes hit Wagner to the point that he seemed to be knocked out. Chaos ensued as multiple Orlando players came off the bench.
Hayes and Wagner will each serve multigame suspensions, while the Pistons’ Hamidou Diallo was suspended one game. Eight other Magic players have been suspended one game each: Cole Anthony, R.J. Hamptom, Gary Harris, Kevon Harris, Admieal Schofield, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr.
Because so many Orlando players were disciplined, the suspensions have been staggered so they can field – or court – a team.
TCU to Honor Mike Leach
The TCU Horned Frogs will honor Mike Leach at Saturday’s VRBO Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, as they will wear a pirate flag helmet sticker.
A coach for 21 seasons, Leach died on Dec. 12 from a heart condition. TCU head coach Sonny Dykes served as an assistant on Leach’s Texas Tech staff from 2000-2006, while TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was a quarterback at Texas Tech under Leach.
The Horned Frogs take on the Michigan Wolverines (Go Blue!) at 4 pm ET/1 pm PT. The winner will head to the National Championship and play the winner of Ohio State vs. Georgia.