Football

The Philadelphia Eagles have officially ruled Jalen Hurts as doubtful for Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

But according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Hurts has made major progress in returning from his right shoulder injury this week after missing the team's Week 16 loss against the Dallas Cowboys.

Per Tim McManus of ESPN, however, the Eagles plan to rest Hurts against the Saints in what may be a precautionary measure given that progression:

The Eagles could clinch both the NFC East crown and the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs with a win Sunday, along with helping to improve the 2023 first-round pick owed to them by the Saints.

Hurts could still see playing time in the regular season if the Eagles handle business Sunday, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo:

Hurts' injury has stalled a potential MVP season. The 24-year-old has thrown for 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 67.3 percent of his passes while taking 35 sacks. He's also rushed for 747 yards and 13 scores.

The Eagles are 13-1 in his starts.

With Hurts out, Gardner Minshew will start for the second straight week. He offered a mixed bag against the Cowboys, throwing for 355 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

He's a solid backup option, and the 6-9 Saints are an easier matchup than the Cowboys. It will be up to Minshew to clinch the top overall seed in the NFC, or the Eagles will face a rivalry game against the New York Giants to close out the season with a lot on the line.

The Arizona Cardinals will start their third-string quarterback Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters Friday that David Blough will play as Colt McCoy is still dealing with concussion symptoms.

Kingsbury announced Wednesday that McCoy had cleared concussion protocol and was on track to start. The team listed the 36-year-old as a full practice participant Wednesday and Thursday.

McCoy suffered the concussion in the third quarter of Arizona's loss to the Denver Broncos on Dec. 18. Trace McSorley finished the game and started the Cardinals' Week 16 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There's no indication McSorley is dealing with an injury. The 27-year-old journeyman is not listed on the team's injury report.

The Cardinals signed Blough off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad Dec. 14. He was active for the Bucs game but didn't play.

He will be the fourth quarterback to start for the Cardinals this season.

Kyler Murray's season ended when he tore his ACL in Week 14 against the New England Patriots. McCoy started in Weeks 10, 11 and 15. McSorley made his first career start last week.

Blough will make his first start in three years. The undrafted Purdue product threw for 984 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions in five starts for the Detroit Lions in 2019. His most recent appearance in an NFL game was with the Lions in Week 8 last season.

The 4-11 Cardinals enter Week 17 having lost five consecutive games. Their 11 losses are their most in a season since 2018 (3-13).

The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly planning to resume contract talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson at the end of the 2022 season.

According to Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens will attempt to work out a long-term deal with Jackson after failing to do so prior to the 2022 season. If they can't, they have the option of placing the franchise on him and paying him an estimated $45 million in 2023, or they could tag and trade him.

Jackson has missed the Ravens' last three games with a knee injury, and he has not practiced this week, meaning he is trending toward missing a fourth consecutive game when Baltimore faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

Even without Jackson, the Ravens have continued to win and remain in the AFC North divisional title race. Backup Tyler Huntley led Baltimore to a 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos after replacing the injured Jackson and also beat the Steelers and Atlanta Falcons, although he fell to the Cleveland Browns.

Despite Baltimore's success, the Ravens clearly have a far less dynamic offense when Jackson is out, as Huntley has thrown for only 341 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his three starts.

In 12 games this season, Jackson has an 8-4 record and has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Most impressively, he has rushed for 764 yards and three scores as well.

While Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler, one-time first-team All-Pro and was the 2019 NFL MVP, there are some concerns surrounding him.

Jackson has gotten the Ravens to the playoffs four times, including this season, but he only has a postseason record of 1-3.

That is something that can easily change and evolve over time, but there is also the subject of injury issues, which have cropped up over the past two seasons.

Jackson missed five games last season, which may have ultimately cost the Ravens a playoff berth, and he is now on the precipice of missing his fourth game this season.

His fearless style of play puts him in harm's way and results in him taking more hits than most quarterbacks, so it is fair to wonder if durability will continue to be a problem moving forward.

Despite that, it is difficult to envision the Ravens moving on from Jackson, as he is highly productive when healthy, and there doesn't figure to be any clear upgrade available to them in the near future.

Getting a deal done may take some compromise from both sides, but it is undoubtedly in the best interest of the Ravens to lock Jackson up as soon as possible.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones denied rumors the team has been in contact with wide receiver Terrell Owens about a potential return for America's Team this season.

"I've never talked to him or his agent and will not seriously consider it," Jones said during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. "But I've never talked to him."

Owens' agent, Gregory D.L. Daniel, recently told Sports Illustrated's Aaron Wilson that the former NFL wideout had been in "constant communication" with Jones about a possible deal.

Daniel said:

"We've been in constant communication with Jerry Jones' office over the last few days about the possibility of him returning to the Cowboys. Terrell is ready to contribute and play any role, big or small. He's in outstanding shape. He looks no different than he did years ago. I watched him running routes full-speed with DeSean and he looked great. He didn't drop a pass.

"He most recently ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, which was his warm-up. He's a legend. We want to make history and see him break these records. If anybody can do it, it's him. His three Ds are desire, dedication and discipline. He embodies that every day, even running hills at 3 a.m. on Christmas morning."

NFL reporter Dov Kleiman reported Wednesday that Owens "won't be signing with the Cowboys at this time." A source told Kleiman that one reason the deal isn't happening is because Owens is asking for more money.

It's no secret the Cowboys could use another wideout, but signing the 49-year-old would be a risk that many teams probably wouldn't be willing to take at this point in the season.

Owens said earlier this month that he had also been in contact with the San Francisco 49ers, another of his former clubs, about a possible return during an appearance on 95.7 The Game's The Morning Roast (h/t Angelina Martin of NBC Sports). The two sides obviously never reached a deal.

Owens last suited up in the NFL in 2010 when he was 37. He spent three seasons with the Cowboys from 2006-2008, racking up 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns in 47 games.

In addition to the Cowboys and 49ers, Owens also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals across his 15-year career. The Hall of Famer's 15,934 receiving yards trails only Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald for most receiving yards in NFL history

The Cowboys had also been in contact with Odell Beckham Jr. about joining the team this season, but Jones essentially ruled out that possibility, saying recently that "it's not realistic to think about having him in any meaningful way for the playoffs."

Beckham remains unsigned while rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in the Super Bowl last season.

The Cowboys enter their regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders next week having already clinched a playoff berth with a 12-4 record. CeeDee Lamb has been their best receiver with 1,307 yards eight touchdowns in 16 games.

While the Las Vegas Raiders haven't had much to celebrate this season, Jarrett Stidham is relishing his opportunity as the starting quarterback for the final two games.

Ahead of his first career NFL start, Stidham called this "a dream come true" while speaking to reporters.

"But at the same time, I've been preparing since my rookie year, and I've tried to prepare every single week whether I was the backup or the starter," he added. "Obviously, I've gotten to learn under a bunch of really good guys...players, coaches. I've always tried to treat the weeks the same, and this is no different."

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels announced Wednesday that Stidham would be replacing Derek Carr for the final two games this season.

"None of us is happy with where we're at, but we think it's an opportunity to evaluate a younger player who hasn't had much time to play," McDaniels said of the quarterback change. "Talking to Derek, who was great, he understands the scenario that we're in and the situation, and very supportive of the two young guys."

After making the playoffs last year and acquiring Davante Adams in the offseason, expectations were high for the Raiders coming into 2022. They immediately dug themselves a hole with three consecutive losses and a 1-4 overall start before their bye in Week 6.

A three-game winning streak from Weeks 11-14 did get the Raiders within shouting distance of the playoff race, but they lost two of their next three games to enter Week 17 with a 6-9 record.

The Raiders are one of four teams in NFL history to lose at least four games in a season that they were leading by 13 or more points.

Per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, Las Vegas is also the first team since at least 1930 to lose at least four games that it was leading by double-digits at halftime.

Even though Stidham is understandably excited to start games in the NFL, McDaniels isn't doing him any favors with the Raiders' final two opponents.

Stidham's first career start on Sunday will be against the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners defense ranks first in yards allowed (290.3 per game), points allowed (15.3), fourth in opponent passer rating (82.1) and are tied for seventh in sacks (41).

The Raiders will wrap up the season on Jan. 8 against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes leads the league in passing yards (4,720) and passing touchdowns (37). Vegas mathematically still has a chance of making the playoffs.

Stidham is in his fourth NFL season. He was a fourth-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2019 and appeared in eight games in the previous three seasons.

The Patriots traded the Auburn product to Las Vegas in May, reuniting him with McDaniels. The 26-year-old is 32-of-61 for 342 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions in 11 career games.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert was among the bystanders to help rescue a man and his family from a helicopter that had to make an emergency landing in the water near Davis Islands in Tampa on Thursday, according to Matt Cohen of the Tampa Bay Times.

Gabbert was on a personal watercraft at the time of the incident, per Cohen.

Hunter Hupp and his parents were taking a helicopter tour over Tampa and the city's beaches as a Christmas gift before he heard a "popping sound" from above his head. The helicopter's engine had failed and it wasn't going to make it back to the airport.

The helicopter made an emergency landing in the water around 200 yards from Davis Islands. As the aircraft began to sink, Hupp found himself entangled in seatbelts and other cords that made it difficult for him to escape.

Hupp's parents and the pilot made it out safely, but Hupp said he struggled under the water for between 45 seconds and a minute before he finally freed himself. Hupp, his parents and the pilot escaped with no injuries.

Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports Gabbert "was one of the first to respond on his jet ski" when the helicopter went down. The veteran signal-caller lives on Davis Islands, according to Auman.

As Hupp, his parents and the pilot treaded water, Gabbert and someone on another jet ski came along to help. Hupp said his father was helped up onto one jet ski and he and his mother onto the other.

Hupp, who had no idea an NFL quarterback was one of the rescuers, detailed the matter, via Auman:

"They slowly brought us back to the shore, a sandy beach near the yacht club, and hung out for a while, were really nice. We exchanged pleasantries upon reaching flat ground. They were really an asset to helping us out, because we were the only ones out there for a while. It was a handshake and a huge and 'Thank you so much.' They went out for a nice afternoon ride and just happened to come upon a stranded helicopter family."

The Tampa Police Department is now "coordinating with local and federal agencies regarding the investigation and eventual recovery of the helicopter."

Gabbert, who was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars 10th overall in 2011, has been with the Buccaneers since 2019 and serves as a backup to seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Dak Prescott doesn't care about style points after the Dallas Cowboys got a 27-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Prescott said "a win is a win" to justify the team's lackluster performance against a depleted Titans team.

"A win's a win, and we're going to take it and we're going to get better from the mistakes and make sure that we're improving," the Cowboys quarterback said. "But a road win, short week, you've got to take them all. And style points and all that, that's for y'all who think games are won on paper."

Knowing their result this week had no impact on their ability to win the AFC South, the Titans essentially punted the game to rest their key players for a Week 18 showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Derrick Henry and Kristian Fulton were ruled out shortly before kickoff, bringing the list of Tennessee starters not playing up to 10.

The Cowboys were without Tony Pollard because of a thigh injury, but otherwise, they were playing at relatively full strength.

Playing with Joshua Dobbs as their starting quarterback, the Titans were within four points at 17-13 after three quarters. The Cowboys did pull away with 10 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't pretty.

This marks the third time in the past four games that Dallas has looked underwhelming. Ezekiel Elliott's touchdown run in the final minute gave the Cowboys a 27-23 win over the Houston Texans on Dec. 11. They blew a 17-point third-quarter lead in a 40-34 overtime loss to the Jaguars on Dec. 18.

Even the Cowboys' Christmas Eve win over the Philadelphia Eagles required a late defensive stop against Gardner Minshew II filling in for the injured Jalen Hurts.

One of the big issues for Dallas during this recent stretch of games has been Prescott. The two-time Pro Bowler has thrown at least one interception in six consecutive games. His two picks against the Titans gave him 14 for the season, tied with Derek Carr for most in the NFL.

Those mistakes don't look as bad when playing teams with inferior talent like the Texans and Titans. But if the Cowboys want to make a deep playoff run, Prescott will have to do a better job of protecting the ball.