NFC East

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.

Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns because of foot and knee injuries, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The news was expected as Gibson was trending toward not playing after he missed the last three days of practice.

Gibson eclipsed 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the second straight year in 2021. He finished with 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground and 42 receptions for 294 yards and three scores.

His 2022 season hasn't matched that pace. Through 15 games, he has run for 546 yards and three touchdowns.

This offseason, the Commanders made a big investment in their passing game. First, they acquired quarterback Carson Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts. Then, they selected Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson with the 16th pick in the 2022 draft.

The arrivals of Wentz and Dotson theoretically lessened Washington's reliance on the running game, and rookie Brian Robinson Jr. has emerged as the team's top running back this year, having rushed for 710 yards and two scores in 11 games.

Robinson will be asked to shoulder the load for the Commanders in Week 17 as they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Browns.

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.

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.

The Dallas Cowboys earned a decisive 27-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. For now, they remain alive for both the NFC East title and the conference's No. 1 seed.

One might believe that the Cowboys feel pretty good heading into their Week 18 finale against the Washington Commanders, but they shouldn't.

While the final score might indicate the sort of clean and complete performance Dallas wants to see heading into the postseason, it wasn't that. The Cowboys surged in the second half, but they played a mistake-filled first half that provided more questions than answers.

Quarterback Dak Prescott committed three turnovers in the first half, and Dallas limped into halftime with a mere four-point lead.

It's easy to chalk up Dallas' slow start to the emotional aftermath of last week's big win over the Philadelphia Eagles. However, it continues a troubling trend for the Cowboys. Yes, they beat the Eagles—though Philadelphia was without star quarterback Jalen Hurts (shoulder)—but before that, they narrowly escaped the lowly Houston Texans and blew a big lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars to lose in overtime.

It's not as if the victory over Philadelphia was truly that much of a feel-good moment either. With backup quarterback Gardner Minshew II running the offense, Philly dropped 442 yards and 34 points on the Dallas defense.

Of course, the Cowboys did gain a little momentum by beating Philadelphia, and they should have been able to add to it against the Titans. Tennessee has been slumping—it has now lost six straight—and entered Thursday night without several key players, including standout running back Derrick Henry.

This should have been a bigger blowout than it was, especially considering the mistakes Tennessee made.

The Titans turned it over twice and committed a whopping 10 penalties for 124 yards. Despite Tennessee's miscues—and Dallas winning the time-of-possession battle by nearly seven minutes—the Cowboys only had a 44-yard advantage offensively.

Despite Henry's absence, Tennessee still rushed for 97 yards and averaged 4.0 yards per carry. With quarterback Joshua Dobbs making his first-ever NFL start, the Titans matched Dallas' 4.9 yards per offensive play. Though the Titans had nothing to play for in this game—their Week 18 game against the Jaguars will settle the AFC South regardless—the Cowboys struggled to put them away until late.

Given Tennessee's offensive personnel, this marked the third straight game in which Dallas' defense has played poorly. It has now surrendered 87 points over its last three games. That isn't ideal.

Dallas has given up at least 300 yards of offense in six consecutive contests.

Prescott's streak of turning the ball over is far from ideal, too. He's now turned it over in six straight games and is tied for the league lead in interceptions. This is despite him missing five games earlier in the year with a hand injury.

While Prescott did finish with 282 passing yards and two touchdowns, that was to be expected. The Titans have been atrocious against the pass and entered Week 17 ranked 31st in passing yards allowed and 29th in passing touchdowns surrendered.

The Cowboys cannot expect to turn the ball over frequently, play lackluster defense and still get past teams like Philadelphia (with a healthy Hurts) and the San Francisco 49ers in the postseason.

What might be most frustrating is that there isn't much for Dallas to learn from Thursday's game. Good teams learn from bad performances, something linebacker Micah Parsons touched on between the loss to Jacksonville and the win over Philadelphia.

"Really, every loss is a chance to learn and get better," Parsons said, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. "Losing close ones sucks, but there's always something you can look at and learn from it."

What is there to learn from outlasting a short-handed Titans team that hasn't won a game since before Thanksgiving? Aside, possibly, from the fact that T.Y. Hilton (four catches, 50 yards) can be a factor or that CeeDee Lamb (11 catches, 100 yards) can beat a bad secondary, not much.

On top of everything, the Cowboys potentially suffered another serious injury-related loss when center Tyler Biadasz exited with an apparent ankle injury.

Injuries were already a concern for Dallas, as running back Tony Pollard (thigh) and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (neck) both missed Thursday's game. Parsons is dealing with a hand injury, while cornerbacks Anthony Brown (torn Achilles) and Jourdan Lewis (Lisfranc) are on injured reserve.

In the postseason, it's often the healthiest teams that have the best chances to go far. It doesn't look like Dallas is going to be one of those teams. That's a major problem, as is the fact that the Cowboys stumbled through a sloppy win on Thursday.

The reality is that this may have been the Cowboys' last chance to gain some real momentum before the Wild Card Round. If the Eagles get past the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Dallas will have nothing to play for in Week 18.

The Cowboys could use the Washington game to rest their starters and prevent further injuries. Their last truly dominant win came in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts, and that feels like a lifetime ago.

Dallas cannot possess the confidence of a true title contender. The chance to change that was there on Thursday, and the Cowboys didn't grab it.

Instead of riding high away from an efficient and complete performance, Dallas limps toward the postseason with concerns about its ability to beat teams that aren't missing their best players.

The New York Giants could clinch their first postseason berth since 2016 with a win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, and they understand the urgency of the situation.

"Yeah, you don't want to leave it to chance," running back Saquon Barkley said Thursday, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "The way you do that is by doing what you've got to do this week. That is really it."

Entering this season, the Giants were pegged as one of the teams projected to finish near the bottom of the league. New York has shocked the masses with an impressive 2022 campaign under first-year head coach Brian Daboll, as the team enters Week 17 with a record of 8-6-1.

However, the Giants have struggled down the stretch, going 1-4-1 over their last six games. They're coming off a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings last week on a last-second field goal.

Per Raanan, New York is a 5.5-point favorite against the Colts, who have been eliminated from playoff contention with a 4-10-1 record. Much of the Giants roster has never experienced the postseason, including Barkley.

"Obviously, the first four years it didn't happen. Now there is a chance; it's a possibility," Barkley said. "It's a beautiful thing when looking at all the ups and downs, whether it's in my personal career or as an organization what we've been through the last couple years. It will be special. We have a chance to do it."

If the Giants fail to punch their ticket to the postseason this week, they will face the daunting task of defeating the NFL-leading Philadelphia Eagles (13-2) in the regular-season finale. New York would obviously prefer to secure its spot in the playoffs by taking down Indianapolis.

"I think everybody knows what [is at stake]," Daboll said. "But what we can control is, again, the same stuff we try to control each week—making sure we're prepared, ready to go, and go out there and put our best foot forward."

It seems like Dallas Cowboys fans hoping for Odell Beckham Jr. to join their team this holiday season are going to be disappointed.

Speaking to reporters after Saturday's 40-34 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it's "not realistic to think about having [Beckham] in a meaningful way for the playoffs."

Jones added he was "not dismissing" the possibility of signing Beckham in the future.

It's become impossible to keep track of all the twists and turns in the courtship between the Cowboys and Beckham.

Jones told USA Today's Jarrett Bell just eight days ago Beckham was "going to join us," and a deal could become official after the Cowboys played the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 18.

No team seemed to be going after Beckham harder than Dallas. He had an official visit with the club on Dec. 5 and attended a Dallas Mavericks game with Cowboys stars Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons the same day.

The Cowboys did add help at wide receiver when they signed T.Y. Hilton on Dec. 12. Josina Anderson of CBS Sports noted Hilton's addition didn't necessarily take them out of the Beckham sweepstakes.

Anderson also noted she spoke to an NFL source who said the Cowboys wanted Hilton because he was available to play "right now." The 33-year-old made his season debut against the Eagles. He only had one catch, but it was a 52-yarder on 3rd-and-30 midway through the fourth quarter to help set up a game-tying touchdown.

Beckham's availability for the stretch run this season has been called into question recently. He is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Super Bowl 56 while playing for the Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN's Ed Werder reported on Dec. 6 that Dallas had concerns about Beckham's knee after he took a physical that made it unclear if he would be able to play before mid-January.

The Cowboys have already clinched a playoff berth. Their victory over the Eagles kept their hopes of winning the NFC East and clinching a first-round bye alive, but they need to win out and have Philadelphia lose its final two games to have a shot.

After Saturday's 40-34 win over the Philadelphia Eagles to split the regular-season series, there's a chance that the Dallas Cowboys meet their NFC East rivals once again in the playoffs.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledged the possibility of a rubber match and told reporters he would relish the opportunity to face the Eagles in a postseason game:

Prescott threw for 347 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the Christmas Eve thriller. Dallas faced a 27-17 deficit in the second half before mounting a comeback. The Cowboys defense forced four turnovers in the win.

Dallas (11-4) will quickly turn the page to its Thursday Night Football matchup against the Tennessee Titans (7-8).

On just his third pass of the day, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw a pick-six against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Prescott would not let the early blunder deter him as he powered Dallas to its biggest win of the season.

The 29-year-old threw for 347 yards, three touchdowns and an interception to lead the Cowboys to a thrilling 40-34 victory over their NFC East rivals, who were hoping to clinch a division title on Christmas Eve.

Dallas had trailed 27-17 early in the second half before storming back to hand Philadelphia its second loss of the year. With the win, it is still mathematically viable for the Cowboys to win the NFC East in the final two weeks of the season.

Prescott showed flashes of brilliance on Saturday with dazzling throws that wowed the home fans at AT&T Stadium. His connection with star receiver CeeDee Lamb was clicking all day, as the wideout racked up 10 catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

NFL Twitter heaped praise on Prescott for his heroics in the intense rivalry game:

Saturday's performance was Prescott's first 300-yard game of the 2022 season, and it came at the perfect time. With back-to-back road games to end the season, Dallas will need its signal-caller to be at his absolute best as the playoffs approach.

The Cowboys (11-4) will look to keep the momentum going with they return to action on Thursday Night Football this week to visit the Tennessee Titans (7-8), who have lost their last five games.