Kenny Pickett and the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a close 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 16. Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts was knocked out of the game early and didn’t return after entering the concussion protocol. Replacing him to run the offense was Pickett, who himself took a hit on the ribs.
Kenny Pickett Upset Following Narrow Loss Against Commanders
The game between the Commanders and Eagles went down to the wire, with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Washington QB Jayden Daniels to wide receiver Jamison Crowder in the closing seconds being the final factor.
Despite losing Hurts early in the game, Pickett didn’t let the offense struggle, as the Eagles continued to put up points, leading the game until the very last minute. Nevertheless, clutch plays from the Commanders denied Pickett a victory for which the quarterback was very upset about.
“Honestly, I’m just sitting here p***** off, man. I wanted to win that one bad, point blank,” Pickett told reporters.
“Any reps you get are valuable — practice, game, whatever it is — because you don’t get many of them, you know, being the two. I just want to take advantage of everything I can get and hopefully, these guys feel they can rely on me if I have to go in there again.”
Pickett Positive About His Rib Injury
The Eagles’ backup quarterback suffered a rib injury following a hit in the backfield by linebacker Bobby Wagner in the fourth quarter. Despite the injury, Pickett remained in the game and even led a field-goal drive with 3:48 remaining.
He finished with 143 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, completing 14 of 24 passes.
In the press conference, Pickett said he had X-rays done, but no results were mentioned. He said more tests will be done on Monday, but the former Pittsburgh Steelers QB was optimistic that he will return for next week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
If that happens not to be the case, the Eagles’ QB room will be stretched thin. Behind Pickett on the Eagles’ depth chart is former sixth-rounder Tanner McKee, who Philadelphia drafted in 2023. As a precaution, expect the team to add another quarterback to the practice squad.