NFL Week 18: Jalen Hurts playing while Pro Bowl QBs rest

By Thanksgiving, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts might have been the favorite for the NFL MVP Award for the 2023 season, and three days after the holiday, he passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more in a 37-34 overtime victory against the Buffalo Bills.

Since then, the former Alabama standout has broken the NFL single-season record for touchdown runs by a quarterback and set the franchise single-season record for touchdown responsibility.

But when the rosters for the Pro Bowl Games were announced on Wednesday night, Hurts wasn’t one of the NFC’s three quarterbacks.

What happened?

Since the start of December, the Eagles have lost four of their five games and fallen from No. 1 in the NFC postseason standings, with a first-round bye and homefield advantage, to a likely wild-card qualifier with a first-round road game.

For Philadelphia to open the playoffs at home as the NFC East seed, it needs the Dallas Cowboys to lose to the Washington Commanders while the Eagles defeat the New York Giants, the only team they’ve beaten since the win against the Bills, on the final weekend of the regular season.

That means neither Hurts nor Dallas QB Dak Prescott will be resting for the playoffs. That puts Prescott in a minority – a Pro Bowl Games quarterback who’s playing this weekend.

Five teams are sitting their top quarterback, and four of those signal-callers are Pro Bowlers – the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy and Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford.

The other Pro Bowl quarterback playing on the final weekend of the regular season is another former Alabama standout – Tua Tagovailoa. He’ll lead the Miami Dolphins against Buffalo, with the winning team earning the AFC East’s playoff spot and accompanying first-round home game. If the Dolphins lose, they’ll start the postseason on the road as a wild-card qualifier.

Hurts and Tagovailoa are among the five quarterbacks with Alabama football roots slated to start this weekend, along with Nick Mullens (Spain Park), Jarrett Stidham (Auburn) and Bryce Young (Alabama).

Mullens’ Minnesota Vikings will play the Detroit Lions with a long-shot chance of making the playoffs. Stidham’s Denver Broncos and Young’s Carolina Panthers are among the 12 teams that are out of postseason contention.

But that leaves 20 teams in the running to reach the Super Bowl, tied for the most entering the final weekend of a season since 22 were alive in 1982. Five playoff berths are unclaimed, and four division titles remain up for grabs.

Here’s what teams need to do make the playoffs (barring any ties):

· The Atlanta Falcons would win the NFC South by beating the Saints if the Buccaneers lose.

· The Buffalo Bills would win the AFC East by beating the Dolphins. The Bills also could make the playoffs if they lose as long as the Steelers or Jaguars lose, too.

· The Dallas Cowboys would win the NFC East by beating the Commanders. The Cowboys also would win the NFC East if the Eagles lose.

· The Green Bay Packers would clinch a playoff berth by beating the Bears. The Packers also could make the playoffs if they lose as long as the Vikings, Seahawks and Buccaneers lose or the Seahawks and Saints lose.

· The Houston Texans would clinch a playoff berth by beating the Colts. If the Jaguars lose, then the Texans would be the AFC South champs, too.

· The Indianapolis Colts would clinch a playoff berth by beating the Texans. If the Jaguars lose, then the Colts would be the AFC South champs, too.

· The Jacksonville Jaguars would win the AFC South by beating the Titans. The Jaguars also could make the playoffs if they lose as long as the Steelers and Broncos lose, too.

· The Miami Dolphins would win the AFC East by beating the Bills. The Dolphins already have secured a playoff spot.

· The Minnesota Vikings would clinch a playoff berth by beating the Lions if the Packers, Seahawks and either Buccaneers or Saints lose.

· The New Orleans Saints would win the NFC South by beating the Falcons if the Buccaneers lose. The Saints also could make the playoffs by beating the Falcons as long as the Seahawks and Packers lose.

· The Philadelphia Eagles would win the NFC East by beating the Giants if the Cowboys lose. The Eagles already have secured a playoff spot.

· The Pittsburgh Steelers would clinch a playoff berth by beating the Ravens if either the Bills or Jaguars lose. The Steelers also could make the playoffs if they lose as long as the Jaguars lose and the Broncos win.

· The Seattle Seahawks would clinch a playoff berth by beating the Cardinals if the Packers lose.

· The Tampa Bay Buccaneers would win the NFC South by beating the Panthers.

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The Alabama Game of the Week is the Eagles-Giants contest on Sunday. Eighteen players from Alabama high schools and colleges are on the teams’ active rosters.

The complete Week 18 schedule (with all times Central and point spreads from Catena):

Saturday

· Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5) at Baltimore Ravens, 3:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)

· Houston Texans (-1) at Indianapolis Colts, 7:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)

Sunday

· Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5.5) at Carolina Panthers, noon (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)

· Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-6), noon

· Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (-3), noon

· New York Jets at New England Patriots (-2.5), noon

· Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-3), noon (WIAT, WKRG, WAKA, WTVY)

· Jacksonville Jaguars (-5.5) at Tennessee Titans, noon (WHNT)

· Seattle Seahawks (-2.5) at Arizona Cardinals, 3:25 p.m.

· Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-3), 3:25 p.m. (WIAT, WHNT, WKRG, WAKA, WTVY)

· Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers (-3), 3:25 p.m.

· Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders (-2.5), 3:25 p.m.

· Philadelphia Eagles (-5) at New York Giants, 3:25 p.m.

· Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers (-3.5), 3:25 p.m.

· Dallas Cowboys (-13) at Washington Commanders, 3:25 p.m. (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)

· Buffalo Bills (-3) at Miami Dolphins, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.