The Eagles are gearing up for Sunday’s high-stakes showdown in the conference championship. But things aren’t looking all that smooth. A few key players missed practice this week, sparking concerns about their availability for the big game. With the stakes this high, every piece of news matters, especially when it involves cornerstone players like Cam Jurgens. Cam has been a crucial part of the Eagles’ success this season, and missing him could shake things up for the Philly. Eagles fans are keeping a close eye on every update, holding their breath for some good news. Thankfully, one of Jalen Hurts’ teammates shared some words of hope that might calm the nerves a bit.

On Thursday, Eagles guard Landon Dickerson was seen taking reps at center during practice in place of Cam Jurgens. After practice, the media asked Landon a few questions, one of which concerned Cam Jurgens. “Right now it’s just Thursday practice, getting Cam some rest. And that’s just kind of the way it falls with rotation on the backup center,” shared Landon. 

So, does that mean Cam will be on the gridiron on Sunday against the Commanders? Well, that’s what Landon thinks. But even he isn’t 100% sure. When asked about whether he is expecting Jurgens to play on Sunday, Dickerson added, ” I’m not a medical guy. I don’t know exactly what. Y’all can ask Sirianni or the trainers. I don’t know exactly, but as far as I’m concerned, I think he is.” 

So folks, the worry still looms. On Wednesday, when asked about the matter, Coach Nick Sirianni told the media that both Cam Jurgens and tight end Dallas Goedert would be back for Thursday’s practice. But surprisingly, they weren’t. While Goedert did catch some passes on the sidelines while the rest of the guys warmed up, Cam was missing from the overall picture.

QB Jalen Hurts is back at full practice

The Commanders this season have been the underdogs. It’s no longer a secret how big of a threat they can be. And the Eagles will not want to lose at this step, coming this close to the Super Bowl. But with all those injuries, it’s like the devil is hovering over their heads. In the divisional game against the Rams, QB Jalen Hurts injured his knee in the third quarter. Although he was a full participant in Thursday’s practice, the question is: Is he in his best health? Philly’s offensive tackle Lane Johnson said, “He was mobile. He was moving.”

Although the QB’s numbers this season haven’t been that impressive, Hurts racked up 2,903 yards (ranked 20th) with only 18 TDs. These are the lowest since his rookie year. This season, though, the real savior for the Eagles has been their star running back, Saquon Barkley. With 345 carries and 2,005 yards, Barkley’s leading the league in both categories, proving he is the workhorse of Philly’s offense. 

Back to their injury reports, along with Cam Jurgens and TE Dallas Goedert, Fred Johnson also didn’t practice on Thursday. While Goedert is dealing with an ankle injury, Fred missed practice due to a personal matter. WR Britain Covey was limited in practice. With those injuries, the picture doesn’t look too pleasant at all. The Commanders look fully confident, with their defensive coordinator, Joe Whitt Jr., giving Coach Nick a heads-up. “So, one thing is if he (Jalen Hurts) is going to run the ball, and if the coordinator makes a decision for him to run the ball, we’re gonna treat him like running back. And we’re gonna hit him that way.”

Though Sirianni isn’t bothered, brushing off Joe’s comments, saying, “Every team is going to try to tackle Jalen. We, ultimately, already, are conscious of how we use him, and how we think about each play.” So, it’ll be interesting to see which of the two teams takes that next step closer to winning the Super Bowl.