Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Dallas Cowboys | Cooper Neill/GettyImages
The Dallas Cowboys will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday for the final time in 2024. When schedule-makers circled Week 17 as the second matchup for these bitter rivals, they probably thought it would have massive stakes, potentially with the NFC East on the line.
With the Cowboys navigating a tumultuous season, they have nothing to play for. The Eagles, meanwhile, can clinch the division with a win or a tie. They need to win to keep their No. 1 seed hopes alive, so they will have plenty of motivation.
While Dallas’ roster is absolutely decimated by injury, the Eagles are as a healthy as a contender can be this late in the season.
Already down several Pro Bowlers, the Cowboys have shut down CeeDee Lamb for the final two games after further scans revealed it would be too risky for the star receiver to continue playing through his AC joint sprain. He has been put on injured reserve.
Lamb is far from the only injury concern as Dallas tries to spoil Philly’s quest to clinch the division. The team’s inactives have been announced.
Cowboys’ Week 17 inactives
| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kemon Hall | CB | Hamstring | Out |
| T.J. Bass | OG | Thigh | Out |
| Princeton Fant | TE | Calf | Out |
| Deuce Vaughn | RB | – | Out |
| Matt Waletzko | OT | – | Out |
| Tyrus Wheat | DL | – | Out |
| Justin Rogers | DT | – | Out |
It really is fitting that Dallas’ penultimate 2024 injury report reads like a child’s Christmas list.
Lamb’s absence is an absolute killer. While it creates an opportunity for Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy and Jonathan Mingo, Cooper Rush could struggle to move the ball. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio might sell out to stop Rico Dowdle and force Rush to beat him through the air. It could be a long afternoon for a Cowboys offense that looked to have turned a corner in recent weeks.
READ MORE: Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb proves he’s worth every penny by gutting through injury
Eagles’ Week 17 inactives
| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Hurts | QB | Concussion | Out |
| Will Shipley | RB | Concussion | Out |
| Britain Covey | WR | Neck | Out |
| Nakobe Dean | LB | Abdomen | Out |
| Nick Gates | OL | – | Out |
| Darian Kinnard | OG/T | – | Out |
| Trevor Keegan | OG | – | Out |
The Eagles will not have Jalen Hurts on Sunday. Hurts suffered a concussion early last Sunday and did not clear protocol in time. It will be the Kenny Pickett show.
Hurts’ presence as a capable runner makes Philadelphia’s lethal running game that much more dangerous.
It will be interesting to see what game plan Mike Zimmer schemes up to combat Saquon Barkley, who’s within striking distance of the single-season rushing record and will probably be leaned on even more without Hurts.
Having said that, Zimmer also has to contend for star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who are capable of wrecking games regardless of who’s under center. Zimmer has the Cowboys’ defense buzzing of late. Even without Hurts, Philly is a great litmus test to judge how far Zimmer’s group has come.
