Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion final week, and it doesn’t appear like he will probably be able to return on Sunday. Nick Sirianni stated Friday via the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane that Hurts seems to be unlikely to play in Week 17.
This will lead to Kenny Pickett’s first begin since halfway via final season. Benched after which traded by the Steelers, Pickett changed Hurts in Week 16 — a shootout loss that ended the Eagles’ prolonged win streak — and picked up a rib damage within the course of. This led to the Eagles including a reinforcement (Ian Book) at QB, however Pickett logged a full apply Thursday and can be good to exchange Hurts if/when that point comes this week.
As Hurts didn’t apply Wednesday or Thursday, Pickett moved from restricted to full participation over the previous two days. The Eagles seem set to keep away from a situation through which they would want to go to third-stringer Tanner McKee, however the Hurts-to-Pickett drop-off keyed the workforce’s loss to the Commanders. That defeat dropped the Eagles to 12-3, in a 12 months through which three defeats won’t be adequate to land the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The winner of Week 18’s Vikings-Lions rematch could nicely receive that coveted perch, however the Eagles have an even bigger concern within the quick time period.
As Hurts closes out his fourth season as Philly’s starter, he has finished nicely to rebound from an inconsistent 2023 marketing campaign — one marred by a leg damage that the QB performed via. Hurts has been obtainable all through this season, accounting for 29 touchdowns (11 dashing) and simply 5 interceptions. This got here after the one-time 2022 MVP frontrunner — earlier than a late-season shoulder damage — threw 15 INTs final season. Hurts left Sunday’s sport within the first half, and the Eagles blew a 14-point lead.
Philly and Pittsburgh agreed to the Pickett commerce not lengthy after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson. Upset by each the best way his 2023 season ended and the Steelers changing him with Wilson, Pickett was looking forward to a contemporary begin. He couldn’t stay as much as his No. 20 total draft slot in Pittsburgh and completed his second season on the bench behind Mason Rudolph. A sprained ankle initially sidelined Pickett in Week 12 of final season; he didn’t play once more for the Steelers.
Pickett went 14 of 24 for 143 yards final week, throwing a landing move and an interception in Washington. A DeVonta Smith drop price the Eagles dearly, previous the Commanders’ game-winning drive. That sequence, in what has been a top-heavy NFL 12 months, could plant the Eagles because the NFC’s No. 2 seed. With the present format not giving second-seeded squads a bye, Hurts has two weeks to be prepared for a wild-card sport.
Recoveries from concussions clearly differ, however the timetable would make Hurts a reasonably protected wager of being cleared by then. Sunday’s Cowboys rematch, nonetheless, will give Pickett one other alternative. The Eagles have the 2022 first-rounder signed via subsequent season.
