NFC East

In a game where they could have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Dallas Cowboys 40-34 on Saturday at AT&T Stadium to drop to 13-2 on the season.

It was a very winnable game for the Gardner Minshew-led Eagles, but four turnovers, including two interceptions by Minshew, resulted in Philly dropping their second game of the season.

Minshew completed 24-of-40 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions in the loss. He also fumbled once, as did running back Miles Sanders.

Following the loss, NFL Twitter ripped the Eagles for their string of turnovers, three of which came in the second half:

The Eagles still have a very good chance of locking up the No. 1 seed, especially if Jalen Hurts returns to the lineup next weekend against the New Orleans Saints.

Hurts missed Saturday's game with a shoulder injury. Before the matchup, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the signal-caller would push to return to the field against the Saints if the Eagles lost to the Cowboys this week.

The Washington Commanders have replaced Taylor Heinicke with Carson Wentz in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Washington was down 30-14 at the time it inserted Wentz into the game. Heinicke completed 13 of 18 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns against one interception before being pulled.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (h/t NFL insider Dov Kleiman) reported before the game that the Commanders had a "plan" to bench Heinicke in favor of Wentz if he struggled in Saturday's game.

Additionally NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the leash was getting shorter for Heinicke following poor performances against the New York Giants on Dec. 4 and Dec. 18.

While Heinicke wasn't necessarily playing that poorly, the Commanders needed any kind of spark they could get against a 49ers team that has played very well behind rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.

Wentz, who returned from a stint on injured reserve late last month, told reporters Wednesday that he was "physically feeling good" and would be ready to go against the 49ers if his number was called.

The 29-year-old began the season as Washington's starter after coming over in a trade from the Indianapolis Colts. In the team's first six games, he completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 1,489 yards and 10 touchdowns against six interceptions as the Commanders went 2-4.

Heinicke has started every game since, going 5-3-1 including the 37-20 loss to the 49ers. He entered Saturday's game having completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,693 yards and 10 touchdowns against five interceptions.

Despite falling to 7-7-1 on Saturday, Washington is still very much in the NFC playoff picture.

The New York Giants squandered the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on Christmas Eve, falling to the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 at U.S. Bank Stadium to drop to 8-6-1 on the season.

The Giants had numerous opportunities to win Saturday's game, but a combination of drops and questionable decisions led to a disappointing afternoon for New York.

Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 30-of-42 passes for 334 yards and one touchdown in the loss, but an interception and a blocked punt in the fourth quarter ultimately cost them the game.

While the Giants went on to tie the game at 24 late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings won on a 61-yard field goal.

Following the loss, NFL Twitter mocked the Giants for failing to secure a playoff berth:

Earlier this season, fans were confident that the Giants would make the playoffs, but now the team's postseason hopes remain uncertain in a tight NFC race that has several teams on the bubble.

The Giants haven't made the postseason since 2016. If they make it this campaign, they could end up seeing the Vikings again.

A Texas judge has ordered Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to take a paternity test in a case brought by 26-year-old Alexandra Davis, who says Jones is her father, per Jake Bleiberg of the Associated Press.

Jones has denied the allegation, and his lawyers plan to appeal the decision.

Davis' mother, Cynthia Davis, allegedly agreed to a financial settlement in 1998 that said Jones would support them financially if they didn't say publicly that Jones was the father. Alexandra Davis, who was born in 1996, filed a lawsuit in March claiming she wasn't bound to the agreement made by her mother.

In April, she dropped the lawsuit and planned to pursue a paternity test.

"Alexandra has just decided that she wants to go ahead and proceed with parentage and DNA testing," Jay Gray, one of Davis' lawyers, told the Associated Press. "She wants to remove any doubts that Jerry's her father."

On Thursday, a judge granted the motion to have Jones undergo testing.

The 80-year-old has been married since 1963 and has three children with his wife, Gene.

UWM Holdings Corporation Chairman and CEO Mat Ishbia is "no longer pursuing" a purchase of the Washington Commanders.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post relayed the news Friday from a spokesperson representing Ishbia, who recently agreed to buy controlling interest in the Phoenix Suns and Mercury for $4 billion.

Ishbia told the Post's Maske and Nicki Jhabvala in early November that he was "interested in exploring this opportunity [to buy the Commanders] further in the very near future."

That was after team owners Dan and Tanya Snyder announced Nov. 2 that they retained the services of Bank of America to "consider potential transactions" for the franchise.

Per the Post, Ishbia was among the bidders for ownership of the Denver Broncos, but a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton ended up buying the team.

Ishbia's purchase of the Suns and Mercury marks the most expensive sale of an NBA team all-time, breaking Joe Tsai's previous record of $3.3 billion for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.

As far as the Commanders go, the Post reported this month that "a full sale is the most likely outcome."

The team is worth an estimated $5.6 billion, but bids have come in "well north" of $7 billion, per Michael Ozanian of Forbes. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is also expected to make a bid for the team.

The Washington Commanders confirmed Chase Young will be activated for Saturday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

This will be Young's first action since he suffered a torn ACL in November 2021. Head coach Ron Rivera indicated he plans on managing the young pass-rusher's workload.

Young, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, made an immediate impact. He totaled 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles en route to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The ACL injury capped a slightly disappointing sophomore campaign. The 23-year-old had 1.5 sacks and 26 tackles through nine games before going down.

At 7-6-1, the Commanders occupy the final wild-card spot in the NFC. The Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions are hot on their heels at 7-7, and the Green Bay Packers are lurking a little lower down the standings at 6-8.

Young's return is obviously big news because he's a defensive cornerstone. Getting back on the field also gives him the opportunity to help seal a postseason berth.

Washington could use a boost off the edge. The team is 16th in total sacks (34) and 15th in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders.

The Commanders face a 49ers offense that hasn't missed a beat with quarterback Brock Purdy at the helm, followed by matchups against the Cleveland Browns' Deshaun Watson and Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott.

Getting consistent pressure on the quarterback will be a priority for Rivera and his staff over the next three weeks, and Young can now factor into those plans.

Two nonprofit watchdog groups—CharityWatch and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy—and an investigation by ESPN's Tisha Thompson found that the Washington Commanders' Charitable Foundation is "operating in a manner that calls into question whether it is upholding its charitable mission responsibly."

"There are so many red flags here, it's hard to keep score," CharityWatch executive director Laurie Styron told Thompson. "Taxpayers who subsidize the existence of public charities also have a stake in knowing that nonprofits aren't being used to forward the personal interests of the people running it."

The charity receives 75 percent of its donations from the public and the team's fans. In 2020, it allegedly raised $2.1 million in contributions and grants and gave away $697,000. In 2021, it is said to have raised $927,992 and gave away more $471,000.

The review found that the charity "lacks sufficient independent oversight"; failed to disclose that one of the companies it owes money to belongs to team owner Daniel Snyder; had a number of "unusual transactions" listed in its filings; and provided grants to organizations that don't align with its mission statement.

"The Washington Commander owners, players, donors, alumni, and staff have dedicated time and resources to helping others and we are very proud of the work that has been accomplished, while becoming even more integrated as a community partner in the Washington region," team spokesperson Jean Medina said in a statement.

John Brownlee and Stuart Nash, who are counsel for the Commanders, responded to the report in a statement:

ESPN chose to ignore the informed opinions of the Foundation's independent auditors, and additional outside legal experts who actually had access to the Foundation's records and finances, in favor of the uninformed opinions of individuals who had no such access, and who had affirmatively refused such access when it was offered to them.

Up until April, Commanders co-CEO Tanya Snyder was the sole voting board member in the foundation. Team president Jason Wright, senior vice president of corporate affairs and strategy Amina Bulman, Commanders' Charitable Foundation executive director, Valeri Biberaj and chief operating officer Greg Resh were then added as voting board members by Snyder.

Resh later left both the team and the foundation's voting board in September.

"The potential for abuse is really, really high," president and CEO of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Aaron Dorfman told Thompson regarding the board being comprised solely of team employees.

"The better practice would be to have some people on the board who are not beholden to the Snyders or to the team," he added. "People who have the best interests of vulnerable children, because the foundation says that is what it's working toward. And that would help guarantee that the foundation is used for its intended purpose of really benefiting the community."

It is the latest controversy for the Snyders and the Commanders, who have faced numerous investigations and inquiries in the past year, including a House Committee on Oversight and Reform probe that found Snyder had fostered a "culture of fear" within the organization. It also reported instances of "sexual harassment, bullying, and other toxic conduct" over the course of several decades.

In November, the organization announced that the Snyders had hired Bank of America Securities "to consider potential transactions," the first indication that the beleaguered owner may finally consider selling the franchise.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to miss Saturday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Head coach Nick Sirianni indicated Gardner Minshew will likely be running the offense in Hurts' stead.

The NFL MVP candidate has led the Eagles to a 13-1 record by accounting for 35 touchdowns (22 passing, 13 rushing), 3,472 passing yards and 747 rushing yards.

He's proved to be a long-term solution at quarterback in Philadelphia, which has the No. 2 scoring offense in the NFL.

Hurts has been a full-time starter for the team since taking over for Carson Wentz in December 2020. In two years, the 24-year-old has shown the potential to become one of the game's top superstars for the next decade-plus.

The former Alabama and Oklahoma star went through the vast majority of the season without the threat of potentially missing time as Philadelphia racked up the wins.

Unfortunately, he suffered a sprained right (throwing) shoulder during the third quarter of his team's 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears on Dec. 18 after a tackle from defensive end Trevis Gipson.

He remained in the game and even uncorked a 68-yard pass to A.J. Brown late before running for a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Hurts finished out the contest, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that he was in danger of missing the Cowboys game. Good news emerged, though, as Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, stated that they did not believe this was a long-term injury.

Sirianni offered hope that Hurts could play, however, while noting Minshew was preparing to suit up.

Hurts also said he had a shot.

Minshew is the next man up on the depth chart, and Ian Book sits behind him. The 26-year-old Minshew was the starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars for much of the 2019 and 2020 seasons before joining the Eagles as a backup in 2021. He has completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 6,003 yards, 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 30 career games.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hasn't yet been ruled out for Saturday's crucial matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium despite a sprained shoulder.

"I'm feeling fine," Hurts told reporters Tuesday. "We're keeping this business as usual."

He also said there is "definitely a chance" he'll take the field against Philadelphia's NFC East rivals.

On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Hurts' status for the matchup was up in the air because of a sprained shoulder:

"It wasn't the first time I've been slow [to get up]. It won't be the last," Hurts told reporters regarding the play in which he was hurt. "I did play a really physical game, and it was real cold too. So happy we were able to find a win and in the end find a way."

While a victory would clinch the NFC East for the Eagles (13-1), a loss wouldn't be all that detrimental. The Eagles only need to win one more contest this season or have the Cowboys (10-4) lose one more game to guarantee a division crown.

Likewise, the Eagles currently have a two-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings (11-3) atop the NFC playoff picture and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Hurts, 24, is having a superb third season and is arguably neck-and-neck with Patrick Mahomes in the MVP conversation. Along with throwing for 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions, completing 67.3 percent of his passes, he's rushed for 747 yards and 13 scores.

If Hurts is sidelined, Gardner Minshew will step into the starting role for Philadelphia. He has thrown just four passes this season, completing two of them for 34 yards. He started two games for the Eagles in 2021, throwing for 439 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in four total appearances.