The Philadelphia Eagles are without Jalen Hurts for a second straight week after the quarterback failed to recover from a shoulder injury in time to face the New Orleans Saints.

The NFL MVP contender was considered a doubt for Sunday's clash, after missing his team's pre-Christmas loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

It means Gardner Minshew will start for the second match in a row in the Eagles' first game of 2023.

Hurts returned to practice earlier this week on a limited basis, taking part in sessions on Thursday and Friday, but had been expected to miss the New Year's Day encounter.

The 13-2 Eagles can clinch the top seed in the NFC and home advantage in the playoffs with a victory over the Saints at Lincoln Financial Field.

The New Orleans Saints will receive a boost for Sunday's trip to take on the Philadelphia Eagles with the return of four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

Lattimore, 26, last played in the Saints' Week 5 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, where he suffered an abdomen injury that cost him 10 weeks of action.

He will return to a Saints team who have struggled to a 6-9 record, but are riding a two-game winning streak and still have everything to play for, sitting only one game behind the 7-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the race for the NFC South with two fixtures remaining.

Lattimore will be joined by a second big inclusion for the Saints as first-round draft pick Chris Olave is also expected to make his way back from a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

Olave, a 22-year-old receiver, has 940 receiving yards this season – 460 more than any other Saints player.

The Eagles are expected to be without starting quarterback and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts for the second week in a row, although he has now returned to the practice field.

The Philadelphia Eagles will likely be without quarterback Jalen Hurts for a second straight week after listing the NFL MVP candidate as doubtful for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Gardner Minshew is set to make a second consecutive start in place of Hurts, who sprained his right shoulder in Philadelphia’s 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears on December 18, as the 13-2 Eagles try to secure the NFC's number one seed and home-field advantage for the conference playoffs.

Hurts did return to practice Thursday and took part in Friday's session on a limited basis as well. However, ESPN reported that the Eagles decided to give the 2022 Pro Bowler an additional week of rest to ensure he can be healthy for the upcoming playoffs.

"Obviously the first and foremost thing that’s most important for Jalen is that his health is always taken into consideration first and if it’s safe for him to be out there," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on Friday.

"Then from there, then you do what’s best for the team, but you first do what’s best for the individual."

Minshew also filled in for Hurts last week against the Dallas Cowboys, throwing for 355 yards and two touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter strike to Devonta Smith that briefly gave the Eagles a 34-27 lead.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars starter was intercepted twice as well, with the last leading to a tie-breaking field goal by Dallas in a game the rival Cowboys ultimately won 40-34.

"Gardner has been in this position where he has to do everything he has to do to prepare, on limited reps, on a lot of reps – all those different things," Sirianni said. "That’s why Gardner is a great pro.

"We have a lot of confidence in him that he’s going to be ready no matter what the scenario is."

The Eagles enter Week 17 with a one-game lead on the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC’s best record and are one-and-half games ahead of second-place Dallas in the NFC East. Philadelphia will clinch the conference’s top seed with a win in one of their two remaining regular-season games.

The Philadelphia Eagles will likely be without quarterback Jalen Hurts for a second straight week after listing the NFL MVP candidate as doubtful for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Gardner Minshew is set to make a second consecutive start in place of Hurts, who sprained his right shoulder in Philadelphia’s 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears on December 18, as the 13-2 Eagles try to secure the NFC's number one seed and home-field advantage for the conference playoffs.

Hurts did return to practice Thursday and took part in Friday's session on a limited basis as well. However, ESPN reported that the Eagles decided to give the 2022 Pro Bowler an additional week of rest to ensure he can be healthy for the upcoming playoffs.

"Obviously the first and foremost thing that’s most important for Jalen is that his health is always taken into consideration first and if it’s safe for him to be out there," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on Friday.

"Then from there, then you do what’s best for the team, but you first do what’s best for the individual."

Minshew also filled in for Hurts last week against the Dallas Cowboys, throwing for 355 yards and two touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter strike to Devonta Smith that briefly gave the Eagles a 34-27 lead.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars starter was intercepted twice as well, with the last leading to a tie-breaking field goal by Dallas in a game the rival Cowboys ultimately won 40-34.

"Gardner has been in this position where he has to do everything he has to do to prepare, on limited reps, on a lot of reps – all those different things," Sirianni said. "That’s why Gardner is a great pro.

"We have a lot of confidence in him that he’s going to be ready no matter what the scenario is."

The Eagles enter Week 17 with a one-game lead on the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC’s best record and are one-and-half games ahead of second-place Dallas in the NFC East. Philadelphia will clinch the conference’s top seed with a win in one of their two remaining regular-season games.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts participated in practice on Thursday for the first time since injuring his throwing shoulder almost a fortnight ago.

Hurts missed the Eagles' 40-34 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, having hurt his shoulder on December 18 against the Chicago Bears.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said on Wednesday he is hopeful Hurts will heal quick enough to be available to face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, when victory will clinch the NFC number one seed.

Hurts participated in individual drills on Thursday, throwing several short and intermediate passes.

The 24-year-old, who is a first-time Pro Bowl selection and MVP contender, was listed as a limited participant on the Eagles' official injury report.

"We'll continue to see how he progresses throughout the week," Sirianni said on Wednesday.

"Does he have a chance? Of course he does because his body just knows how to heal. He's a freak. We'll see what happens as the week progresses."

Hurts has thrown 22 touchdown passes with five interceptions this season, with a completion percentage of 67.3 per cent. He has also rushed for 747 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Gardner Minshew went 24-of-40 for 355 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Cowboys in Hurts' absence.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts could yet return this week after missing his team's defeat to NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys.

The first-time Pro Bowl selection and MVP contender sprained his shoulder in a game against the Chicago Bears earlier this month.

Gardner Minshew started in his place as the Eagles lost to the Cowboys on Christmas Eve, although head coach Nick Sirianni had been reluctant to rule out Hurts, "the toughest guy I know", early in the week leading up to the game.

And Sirianni is giving Hurts the opportunity to prove his fitness again ahead of taking on the New Orleans Saints, with the Eagles still one win shy of guaranteeing the division title and the NFC first seed.

"Does he have a chance? Of course he does," Sirianni said. "We'll see what happens as the week progresses."

The Eagles coach was also asked to explain his previous claim that Hurts "heals fast".

"If you and him went up, and you shot baskets together, he'd whoop you," Sirianni said. "If you guys went out, and you raced against each other, he'd whoop you.

"If you guys went out and tried to throw the football, to see who's more accurate, he'd whoop you. And so his body heals faster than yours."

Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees has been taken to hospital ahead of the clash against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday after being involved in an on-field collision.

The 73-year-old's neck was stabilised by medical staff on the 35-yard line before he was placed on a stretcher and carried off the field.

In a statement, the Falcons said: "Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees was involved in an on-field pre-game collision.

"He was stable, alert and responsive and has been transported to University Medical Center New Orleans for medical testing.

"Frank Bush will serve as interim defensive play caller for today's game."

Pees has been with the Falcons for the past two seasons, having come out of retirement following the hiring of Arthur Smith.

The business end of the NFL season is here as the playoff picture starts to emerge.

You can tell things are getting interesting as this weekend sees three Saturday games, meaning football fans can stretch out their weekend viewing even further.

Saturday sees the Minnesota Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts, the Baltimore Ravens visit the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills taking on the Miami Dolphins.

Sunday's action includes a clash in the NFC South where no team seems to want to finish first, but the winner of the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints will leave themselves with an inexplicable chance to do so.

Stats Perform has taken a look at the numbers behind a selection of Week 15's games.

Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (10-3)

While the Vikings have been having a far better season than the Colts, they are just 7-18-1 all-time in the series between the two (including playoffs). It is the Vikings' worst record against any single opponent.

Indianapolis entered their bye week with a 54-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, in which they were outscored by 33 points in the fourth quarter (33-0), the largest point differential in a single fourth quarter in NFL history.

Matt Ryan needs 125 passing yards to reach 3,000 for the 13th consecutive season, which would make him the eighth QB in NFL history to accomplish the feat, joining Philip Rivers as the only two to do so without a Super Bowl victory.

Justin Jefferson set a franchise record with 223 receiving yards on 11 catches against the Detroit Lions. Jefferson is up to 4,516 career receiving yards, the most of anyone in NFL history in a player's first three seasons (next most being Randy Moss with 4,163).

Miami Dolphins (8-5) @ Buffalo Bills (10-3)

The Bills have a five-game winning streak at home against the Dolphins, tied for their longest of all-time. This is just one game shy of matching Buffalo's longest home win streak against a divisional opponent (twice against the Colts and once against the New England Patriots).

The Dolphins lost 23-17 to the Chargers last week, posting a season-low 127 passing yards. Miami's 10 completions in the game were their fewest since Week 13 of 2015 (nine).

Tyreek Hill had a 57-yard fumble return touchdown and 60-yard receiving touchdown last week, and leads the NFL with four plays of 50 or more yards this season. Hill had four total plays of 50 or more yards in his last three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sean McDermott is 9-2 (.818) in his career as a head coach against the Dolphins, the best record by any head coach with at least eight games against Miami all-time. Only two coaches have 10 or more career wins against Miami (Bill Belichick, 26, and Marv Levy, 15).

Atlanta Falcons (5-8) @ New Orleans Saints (4-9)

The Falcons' three-point loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their last game was Atlanta's 10th game this season decided by six points or fewer, tied for the most in franchise history (also in 1995, 2015 and 2017).

Cordarrelle Patterson is one of three players in NFL history to average 5.0+ yards per rush and 9.0+ yards per reception over his career (minimum 400 rushes and 200 receptions), along with Jim Brown and Bobby Mitchell.

The Saints have held their opponent to fewer than 300 net passing yards in 22 consecutive games, tied with the Bengals for the second-longest active streak in the NFL (after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 27).

Chris Olave has had at least 40 receiving yards in all 12 games of his career thus far, the second-longest streak by any NFL player to begin his career in the Super Bowl era behind fellow Saints player Michael Thomas (19).

Elsewhere...

Panthers QB Sam Darnold has won both of his starts this season and has not thrown a pick in either. He has now won seven straight starts dating back to 2020 in games where he has not thrown an interception, tied for the third-longest active streak among QBs (Jimmy Garoppolo 16, Jalen Hurts 13, Joe Burrow 7), and will look to extend it against the Steelers.

The Dallas Cowboys will have to find a way to stop Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. Since November 1, Lawrence has the highest completion percentage in the NFL among players with at least 100 attempts (71.8). On the season, the Jaguars are 5-2 when he completes at least 70.0 per cent of his passes compared to 0-6 when he does not.

The Las Vegas Raiders will look to bounce back against the New England Patriots after blowing a 13-point lead with fewer than four minutes remaining in their 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week. Over the last 40 seasons, the only other time the team had lost a game it led by 13+ points with four minutes or less remaining was in Week 3 of the 1993 season to the Cleveland Browns. 

Tom Brady was 34-for-55 for 253 yards last week, the 11th time in his career he has attempted at least 55 passes. His teams are now 3-8 in such games, with wins in 2002 against Chicago, 2015 against Buffalo, and Week 9 of this season against the Rams. The Buccaneers (6-7) will hope he can guide them to a much-needed W against the Bengals.

The New Orleans Saints, two of their coaches and defensive end Cameron Jordan were fined a total of $550,000 by the NFL for allegedly delaying gameplay by faking an injury.

The Saints have denied any wrongdoing and are appealing the fines.

The incident in question occurred in the fourth quarter of the Saints' 17-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday. Jordan took a knee and pointed to his left foot, forcing Tom Brady and the Buccaneers' offense to pause before a fourth-and-10 play. After the delay, Tampa Bay chose to punt.

The league alleges Jordan faked an injury to prevent the Buccaneers from snapping the ball, levying fines of $50,000 each to Jordan and defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen. Saints head coach Dennis Allen was fined $100,000, while the organisation faces a bill of $350,000.

"The New Orleans Saints deny any allegations of purposefully delaying the game on Monday evening," the team said in a statement on Saturday.

The statement goes on to explain that Jordan had his foot examined and taped before he finished the game.

"[Jordan] had an MRI performed the following day in New Orleans and was confirmed that he suffered an acute mid-foot sprain in his left foot. He has been at the facility each day receiving treatment for his injury he suffered on the play.

"The Saints will appeal the fines through the proper channels and believe the allegations will be proved incorrect."

All 32 teams were sent a memo on December 2 reminding them of rules prohibiting taking advantage of a stoppage in play, according to NFL.com.

Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates is also appealing a fine of $50,000 for a similar alleged infraction during last Sunday's 27-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jordan called the fines “ridiculous” on Twitter and expressed his cynicism with the NFL’s process for enforcement.

"Are fines made by nfl open to public? I just feel like this should be public knowledge," Jordan's tweet read. "Cause some of the fines are silly but this [one]… ridiculous. Anyways & for what a 'deliberate action to delay game' before a [team] punts?"

Tom Brady added to his own NFL record for career game-winning drives, pulling another rabbit out of his hat to deliver an unlikely 17-16 win against the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

Brady's Bucs had only mustered three points in the first 55 minutes of the 60-minute contest, but produced two clutch touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter to salvage a gutsy win.

He delivered the first touchdown pass to Cade Otton with three minutes remaining, and after getting the ball back 30 seconds later, the two-and-a-half minutes on the clock was more than enough to march down again and find Rachaad White with three seconds to spare.

Brady now has 56 game-winning drives in his career, two more than Peyton Manning in second-place.

It was a crucial win for the Buccaneers, who are now 6-6 and one game clear atop the insipid NFC South.

After the victory, Brady reflected on the rollercoaster of emotions after his initial game-winning touchdown pass to Chris Godwin was negated by a holding penalty.

"Just like we drew it up," he said with tongue-in-cheek to open his press conference.

"It was great. Great route by Rachaad, great catch. [Offensive coordinator] Byron [Leftwich] made a great call. 

"We thought we threw the touchdown to Chris – I thought I threw it in a quarter-second. I was like 'how was there a hold? I caught it and threw it'.

"That put us back to the 15 [yard line], but we still found a way. It was a great team win.

"We've been pretty good in no-huddle and two-minute drills. A lot of games come down to those type of plays – and our guys made them. Our guys made the plays this week."

Since arriving in Tampa Bay ahead of the 2020-21 season, Brady has faced the Saints three times at home, and this is both the first win, and the first time the Buccaneers have been able to score a touchdown in any of those games.

"They're a hard team to beat, and I'm glad we won," he said. "They've got a great defense, they played us very physical, like we thought. 

"We made some mistakes in there, but we made enough plays in the end to win.

"I wish we could score more points against them, they make it really hard. They've got a really good scheme, really good players, they cover well, rush well, really good linebackers.

"Tough game, but a great win."

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was thrilled with the result, pointing to his team's "guts".

"They showed guts, they showed grit and they played well together," he said. "It was a complete team effort. 

"The defense got the ball back, the offense cashed it in. We got it back one more time, they cashed it in one more time. It was a good team effort."

Next up on their schedule is the San Francisco 49ers, who present a golden opportunity for a win since it will be the first start at quarterback for third-stringer Brock Purdy after Jimmy Garoppolo's season-ending injury on Sunday.

Brady played his last college game at Michigan four days after Purdy was born.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 45-year-old quarterback showed he still has some magic left in the tank as Tom Brady delivered an unlikely 17-16 home win against the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

Brady's offense struggled all game, and they trailed 16-3 with under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, before the seven-time Super Bowl champion conjured some more of his famous late-game heroics.

He mounted a 10-play, 91-yard drive in just over two minutes, with a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton cutting the margin to 16-10.

Just 31 seconds later he had the ball back after the Buccaneers' defense forced a punt, thanks in large part to a sack from Carl Nassib, giving Brady two-and-a-half minutes to produce another game-winning drive.

Having broken the record for most game-winning drives in the final five minutes or overtime earlier this season, Brady added one more – the 56th of his career – but not without some controversy first.

With 19 seconds remaining, Brady found receiver Chris Godwin for a five-yard touchdown pass that seemingly won the Bucs the game, but a flag for offensive holding negated the play, and meant Brady would have to now figure it out from the 15-yard line.

A nine-yard completion to Godwin got him back down to the six-yard line, and from there, on third-down, he found backup running back Rachaad White leaking out of the backfield to reach the endzone with three seconds on the clock.

Brady ultimately completed 36 of his 54 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and the win improved the Buccaneers' record to 6-6 – giving them sole possession of first-place atop the underperforming NFC South.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is possibly dealing with a concussion for the second time in three weeks after he left in the third quarter of Sunday’s 27-20 loss at the New Orleans Saints. 

Stafford exited the game after appearing to hit his head on the turf and then being sacked to end that same drive. 

The Rams said Stafford was being evaluated for a concussion, but coach Sean McVay said after the game he was not sure if his Super Bowl champion signal-caller was in the NFL’s concussion protocol. 

Stafford cleared the league’s protocol on Friday after missing last week’s 27-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals due to a hit he took in a 16-13 defeat at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 6.  

Following Sunday’s loss, McVay said he had no update on Stafford’s status. 

''I need to talk to the doctors,'' McVay said. ''Obviously we need to make a smart decision for Matthew and see where we're at with that.

"I know how he was feeling, and we made the decision it was going to be in his best interest to not have him continue to play.'' 

The Rams have lost four in a row to fall to 3-7 and equal the worst 10-game record of any defending Super Bowl champion. 

Matthew Stafford will return to the field for Sunday's Week 11 game against the New Orleans Saints after the Los Angeles Rams quarterback missed Week 10 due to a concussion.

With Stafford out and backup quarterback John Wolford in the game, the Rams lost their third game in a row, and their fifth loss from their past six outings.

Sitting at 3-6, the reigning Super Bowl champions look a long way from being contenders this year, with their playoff chances hanging by a thread when they travel to New Orleans.

Stafford, 34, tossed an equal career-high 41 touchdown passes last season in his first year since being traded from the Detroit Lions, but he has struggled this campaign, with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games.

The Rams are currently last in the NFC West, three games behind the division-leading Seattle Seahawks (6-4). They also have, by far, the worst point differential in the division at minus 52, behind the Arizona Cardinals (minus 28), the Seahawks (plus 16) and the San Francisco 49ers (plus 35).

Jameis Winston has been unable to regain his job as the New Orleans Saints starting quarterback despite being healed from his back injury, and that isn’t sitting too well with him. 

"I lost my job due to injury, and the policy has always been you don’t lose your job due to injury," he said. "That’s what happened."

Winston started the first three games of the season for the Saints, but reportedly suffered four fractures in his back in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.  

Although he says he is healthy enough now to return to the field, coach Dennis Allen decided to stick with veteran Andy Dalton for the eighth consecutive game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. 

"I’m going to support Andy, I’m going to support this offense, I’m going to support everyone on this offensive staff the best I possibly can, and that’s it," Winston said. "Because, like I said, I wear that shirt that says 'Big team, little me' even though it hurts my heart. It hurts my soul the way things have turned out to be this year, but it is what it is." 

Allen said earlier this week that he does not think Winston will return to 100 percent this season, which is likely part of the reason why Dalton has remained the starter. He hinted earlier this week that he was considering a change at quarterback due to offensive struggle, but ultimately decided against it.  

Neither quarterback has separated himself from the other in terms of effectiveness. 

Winston completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 858 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions as the Saints went 1-2 in his three starts. 

Dalton, meanwhile, has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,559 yards and thrown 11 TDs with seven picks. New Orleans are 2-5 in his seven games. 

"I owe it to this team to be in the role that I’m in right now, to this offense, to everyone," Winston said. "I apologise to the fans. I know some of them went to see me out there. But I think winning makes a lot of things better, so we need to go out there and start with this week, get a win as a team." 

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to clear concussion protocol and play in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, according to head coach Sean McVay.

The reigning Super Bowl QB missed the Rams' 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but returned to practice on Wednesday.

McVay indicated he expected Stafford to clear protocol by Friday, having entered on November 8 in the days after their 16-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"The doctors are making sure, everybody, himself, his family, feels good about it," McVay told reporters. "That's always been the priority, the person, the safety, the health.

"But if he is fully cleared and he and his family feel good about that, then I know he's chomping at the bit to be out there with his guys."

McVay said if Stafford was cleared as late as Friday that would not impact his availability for Sunday's game.

"It's not going to inhibit his ability to participate in practice, be a full participant in meetings, all that kind of stuff," he said. "It's just kind of following the necessary steps to fully be cleared."

John Wolford, who stepped in for Stafford but struggled against the Cardinals, did not practice on Wednesday due to a neck issue.

Stafford has a 68.4 per cent completion rate this season, passing for 1,928 yards and eight touchdowns and eight interceptions for the Rams who are 3-6 and last in the NFC West.

The Rams will definitely be without wide receiver and 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp who has undergone ankle surgery following an injury sustained against the Cardinals.

"It's going to give a lot of guys an opportunity to step up," McVay said. "Anytime you lose a guy like that, you never replace him.

"Cooper, we all know what a special player, special person he is. That's a big loss, without a doubt, but it will provide a lot of opportunities for other guys to get chances that they wouldn’t otherwise. You have to look at it through that lens."

Saints head coach Dennis Allen confirmed they will stick with quarterback Andy Dalton for Sunday's game, despite considering a change to Jameis Winston who is available again after injury but not yet 100 per cent.