Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Dubbed ‘League’s Most Important Player’
The Philadelphia Eagles headed into Week 12’s matchup with the bitter division rival Dallas Cowboys with high hopes of pulling off the regular-season sweep. Everything seemed to be trending that way in the first half against Dallas, and then the Cowboys turned it on in the second half and erased a three-touchdown deficit and stole a win from the defending Super Bowl champions.
Despite the loss to Dak Prescott and company, the Eagles are still in an excellent position to win the NFC East division title and punch their ticket to the NFL playoffs in order to defend their title against the best of the best in the conference.
Jalen Hurts the Most Important Player in the NFL?
GettyJalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles.
With six games left on the regular-season schedule for the Eagles, an interesting piece was published on ESPN, with Dan Graziano claiming that star quarterback Jalen Hurts is the most important player in the league during the final stretch of the 2025 campaign.
I’ll say Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Philadelphia’s offense is a mess right now, having the highest percentage of three-and-out drives in the NFL. The Eagles aren’t getting the explosive Saquon Barkley plays in the run game the way they did last season, and they haven’t shown an eagerness to lean on the passing game. Some reports are bubbling up about discontent in the locker room and concerns about whether Hurts’ limitations have something to do with the team’s seeming unwillingness to change or evolve the offense.
There’s always noise around the Eagles, but right now there are legitimate questions about whether this season is going to be a repeat of 2023, when they started 10-1 and fell off down the stretch, or whether there’s still a chance for a repeat of last season’s Super Bowl run. Hurts has the ability and experience he needs to quell these concerns with a big December.
Hurts’ success on the field will be paramount to his team’s success as the Eagles attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champions, which is something Patrick Mahomes‘ Kansas City Chiefs recently did as well as Tom Brady’s New England Patriots.
Eagles Look to Bounce Back Against Caleb Williams’ Bears
GettyCaleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears.
After starting the 2025 NFL season with consecutive losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears appeared to be a team that would continue to go through growing pains, with a young star quarterback under center in Caleb Williams and a new head coach, Ben Johnson.
Although things didn’t start well for the storied franchise, Chicago has since turned things around, winning seven of their last eight game and four in a row.
That said, the Bears will pose a serious threat to the Eagles in Week 13, as Hurts and company cannot overlook this upstart Chicago squad if they hope to bounce back after a disappointing collaspe against the Cowboys.
Following the matchup against the Bears, the Eagles will have five games left during the regular season starting with the Los Angeles Chargers (Week 14), Las Vegas Raiders (Week 15), Washington Commanders (Week 16 & 18) and Buffalo Bills (Week 17).
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Reacts to Surprising Rating Drop Without Playing a Snap
Shedeur Sanders hasn’t played a snap for the Cleveland Browns yet, but that didn’t stop Madden from dropping his rating.
The Browns’ fifth-round rookie was recently elevated to the backup spot after Joe Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was previously occupying the No. 3 spot on the depth chart and functioned as the emergency quarterback.
Sanders had held a 67 overall rating since the game’s launch in August, but the Week 5 update knocked him down a point to 66.
Sanders caught wind of the downgrade — and didn’t hide his confusion.
“How,” Sanders said. “Ian even do nun.”
Sanders’ only real game action came in the preseason. He made a strong impression in his preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers, completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He showed poise under pressure and accuracy on the move, highlighted by a seven-yard touchdown run and a 12-yard strike.
Sanders missed the Browns’ second preseason game due to injury and struggled in the finale against the Los Angeles Rams, completing just 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards while being sacked five times.
For context, Gabriel is rated 68 overall, while Flacco — now with the Bengals — is 71 overall.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Focused on Role
Sanders has faced an uphill battle since his draft slide. He’s seen limited reps and has had to climb the depth chart gradually. He remains focused on being prepared if his number is called. The rookie quarterback said he’s confident in his readiness but is leaving any playing-time decisions to the coaching staff.
“We’re going to make sure we do everything we can to make sure Dillon is ready for the game,” Sanders said ahead of Week 6. “So each and every day, even when Joe (Flacco) was the starter, everything. Prepare the right way and be ready to know that you could get out there any point in time. So, I’m overly confident within myself. I know when I first got here, I’m ready to play, but it’s up to the coaches and whatever decision they make, then I’m fine with.”
The Browns haven’t provided any substantial updates on Sanders, but they have praised his work ethic.
“This is not a group you have to prod into doing extra, whether that’s the weight room, meeting room, out on the fields,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We’re really pushing to improve, and I see that from Shedeur and all these young guys, which is the fun part for us as coaches to see all the work you put in show up in how these guys are performing.”
Browns Need More From QB Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel has started two games and neither has been overly impressive. Through two games, he’s passed for 430 yards and three touchdowns. But he’s attempted a whopping 85 passes in his two starts.
“I think you continue to learn from each start. Each time going in there, there’s a lot of details that you want to fine-tune and continue to get better at and get more comfortable with that,”
The Browns hoped replacing Flacco with Gabriel would provide a spark. However, it hasn’t been able to juice up the offense. Cleveland is averaging just 13.7 points per game — the worst in the NFL. If he continues to struggle, Sanders may be the spark the Browns are looking for.
