NFC East: Eagles, Jalen Hurts face a trap game; Carson Wentz, Daniel Jones doomed; Cowboys still riding

The most significant thing Jalen Hurts has said this season sent a clear message to his teammates and everyone else: The Eagles won’t be trapped in 2022.

At the conclusion of his weekly Wednesday news conference, Hurts said, “I didn’t get any questions about the Cardinals, for real?”

The message: The Cowboys next week don’t matter. The Cardinals on Sunday are all that matters.

Understandably, questioners Wednesday were more concerned with Hurts’ flavorless appearance on the “ManningCast,” the popular Monday Night Football simulcast in which Peyton and Eli Manning provide a running commentary on MNF. Guests are peppered in to break the monotony. The Mannings made for a sexier topic than Arizona’s defense, which is 28th in points allowed.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts reacts to wild Michael Irvin video on ESPN’s "ManningCast"

Hurts couldn’t have cared less about the Mannings. He was more concerned with what J.J Watt & Co. did last Sunday to Baker Mayfield and the Panthers offense, which converted just 2 of 10 third downs.

The Eagles host the Cowboys next weekend on Sunday Night Football, a rivalry game in prime time. That makes the Cardinals game a prime candidate to be overlooked, which means their trip to the desert could come up dry.

This is an Eagles franchise that loves to look ahead. Loves to smell itself. Remember the Week 5 loss in 2018? They were scheduled to face the Giants the following Thursday, and they played like it, losing to a one-win Vikings team and falling to 2-3. How about 2019, when the Lions came in as a touchdown underdog in Week 3 and left with a W? The Eagles’ next game was against the Packers.

Many of the principals remain from that team, like offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

The biggest difference between then and now isn’t the head coach. Nick Sirianni replaced Doug Pederson in 2021, but coaches don’t protect against trap games. Coaches do not motivate.

Players protect against trap games. Players police themselves. Players hold each other accountable. Players like Hurts.

Carson Wentz was the quarterback in 2018 and 2019. He was a selfish, divisive, toxic element in the locker room.

Jalen Hurts is the quarterback in 2022. He is a selfless, inclusive, nurturing element in the locker room. Whatever happens Sunday evening in Glendale, Ariz., won’t be because of indifference.

Not from Jalen Hurts’ Eagles.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray to meet again in an Eagles-Cardinals showdown

Wentz rebounded from two interceptions in his debut with the Commanders, threw two late touchdown passes, and beat Doug Pederson and the visiting Jaguars. At that point the question was, how high can Wentz fly in D.C.?

Three weeks later, Wentz has thrown just four more TD passes and three interceptions, has been sacked 16 times — often of his own doing — and has lost three games in a row.

The question now: How long before coach Ron Rivera (who predates general manager Martin Mayhew) benches Wentz for Taylor Heinicke in an effort to save his own job?

Kellen Moore’s stock is back up in Texas.

The Cowboys’ fourth-year offensive coordinator has gone from Golden Boy to scapegoat and back again. He simplified his scheme to protect Dak Prescott’s inexperienced understudy, Cooper Rush, who has won all three starts as Prescott recovers from a broken thumb suffered in the season opener. That has meant lots of running plays, and lots of snaps from under center instead of from the shotgun, which has set up lots of effective play-action passing.

More runs also have meant fewer chances for the Cowboys’ offensive line to collapse. When a passing play is called, Rush has few choices to make, so he gets rid of it quickly: He takes just 2.6 seconds to throw, fourth-best in the league, according to nfl.com’s NextGen stats (Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Jimmy Garoppolo are 1-2-3).

The Rams, the defending Super Bowl champions, are an unimpressive 2-2. Only four teams have a point differential worse than theirs, which is minus-24. The Cowboys are 5½-point road underdogs Sunday, so betting them seems like stealing money. If Rush and Moore stay smart and efficient, Sunday Night Football next weekend in Philly should decide the division lead.

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones hurt his ankle so badly last Sunday that he came off the field. The Giants are so desperate to beat the Packers in London that, on Friday, he came off the injury report. Seems almost criminal.

Jones returned to the game when backup Tyrod Taylor suffered a concussion that has rendered him unavailable to play in England. Jones is a running quarterback. His mobility compensates for an offensive line ranked 25th in pass protection by profootballfocus.com. The Packers’ 11 sacks are tied for seventh.

Jones did not attempt a pass after he returned with 8 minutes, 24 seconds to play.

If you’re going to church Sunday morning while the Giants play, say a prayer for Daniel Jones.