Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will not officially participate in Sunday’s Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Hurts remains in concussion protocol, so Kenny Pickett will start.
Eagles fans had their holiday season spoiled a bit when Hurts left Philadelphia’s Week 16 game against the Commanders early with a head injury. With Hurts out, managers rallied to pull off the upset and deny Philadelphia’s chances of clinching the NFC’s top playoff seed.
Hurts received the “did not practice” designation on Wednesday’s expected injury report (the Eagles did not practice) and was designated again Thursday. On Friday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni gave an update, saying, “It’s going to be tough for him to be successful.”
This is similar to what Hurts said Thursday that he is still in concussion protocol for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
NFL Media reported late Thursday that these revelations suggest Hurts is in the early stages of the NFL’s five-step protocol for returning from a concussion.
At practice this week, backups Pickett and Tanner McKee were seen warming up with Ian Book, who was recently signed to the Eagles’ practice squad. Pickett, who played in most of last Sunday’s game, was listed as a limited member for Wednesday’s scheduled practice due to a rib injury and was a full participant Thursday. He said he does not expect any restrictions on Sunday.
“There are things you have to deal with,” Pickett said, alluding to the injury.
Hurts was injured during a 13-yard run on the Eagles’ second series against the Commanders. He left the game after being tackled by Commanders veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner. Leading 7-0 at the time, Pickett entered the game and immediately completed a 10-yard pass to AJ Brown. The duo capped off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown, Pickett’s first since being traded from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia this offseason.
Pickett led the Eagles with five more scoring drives, but Commanders rookie Jaden Daniels led Washington with a successful two-minute drill, giving the game-winner to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left. After being capped off with a touchdown pass, Philadelphia fell short.
This loss prevented the Eagles from winning a Division 3 title in four years. However, Philadelphia can regain the NFC East title if they defeat the rival Cowboys on Sunday (a loss to the Falcons would clinch the NFC East title as well). If Hurts remains in the protocol, the Eagles may look to Pickett for that game.
Although only in his third season, Pickett played in a similar situation during his rookie season in Pittsburgh. At 3-7 through 10 games, the Steelers had virtually no margin for error as far as their playoff hopes were concerned. Pittsburgh ultimately didn’t make the playoffs that year, but they came close as Pickett led them to a 6-1 record in their final seven games. That period included three winning drives led by Pickett, the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“I thought Kenny responded really well just jumping in there,” Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said of Pickett’s performance against the Commanders. “The way he handled that first drive, he jumped in there and converted on third-and-seven. That drive ended up leading to a touchdown.”
“I thought he certainly did a lot of good things in the game. At the end of the day, we all collectively didn’t do enough to finish that game. This was a learning and growth experience for all of us. I think it’s a great opportunity to do that, but I think Kenny fought in the game the entire time. ”
