Following Sunday Night Football, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was seen grimacing as he left the field. The Eagles QB had come up gingerly a couple of times during the game, including a scramble out of bounds in the first half where he was chased by Miami Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel. Let’s take a look at the latest updates we have regarding Hurts’ injury and what it could mean for the Eagles going forward.
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Latest Jalen Hurts Injury Update
After the game, Hurts was asked by reporters whether he suffered a knee injury during the game, answering with “I’ll be fine” and confirming he did indeed put on a knee brace. That was actually the second time in his media availability that Hurts told reporters he was “fine.”
The first indication that something might be wrong with Hurts was when he was late returning to the field for the second half. At one point, backup QB Marcus Mariota was warming up as though he was going to start the half before Hurts joined his teammates on the sideline.
When head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to the media after the game, he told AP Senior NFL Writer Rob Maaddi that he would need to “talk to the trainers, talk to Jalen. We’ll get him in tomorrow,” in an answer where he jokingly told the reporters he would string them along all week. The tone of the answer suggested that there was not much concern on his part about Hurts’ knee injury.
When Sirianni was further pressed by Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com, he did elaborate a little further.
“He played the rest of the game and played at a very high level. You have to ask Jalen. I thought he played really outstanding. Man, he is a competitor. There is nobody else I would rather be our quarterback. He played his butt off tonight. He’s tough.
“You all saw that he was going through a little something. So he is tough. He is tough, tough. This game always comes down to physicality and toughness. Always does. No matter what. Because it’s hard. And that’s physical and mental toughness, and Jalen Hurts has both.”
Sirianni also told reporters that the images of Mariota warming up were not something that was instigated by him.
“You know what, Marcus might have just been throwing. I didn’t tell Marcus to warm up. I knew Jalen was coming back in the game. He may have been in getting an IV. He gets IVs sometimes at halftime, so sometimes when you don’t get the ball to start the second half, you can finish the IV.”
Hurts’ teammates had given reporters an indication that their QB had not played pain-free during the game. A.J. Brown told reporters that Hurts is “a tough individual” after saying he did not “want to put his business out there.”
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Lane Johnson clarified to reporters that this week was not a major concern because the Eagles’ offensive style often leads to Hurts getting “nicked up.” He added, “But he does a good job. He never really shows it or complains or anything.”
On Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Hurts’ knee injury is nothing that would keep him out of a game.
Unless further testing on Monday reveals a bigger issue than the Eagles’ training staff observed on Sunday night, it appears as though Hurts and the Eagles have avoided a major issue. All eyes will be on the injury report on Wednesday to see whether Hurts has any limitations or is a full go for their Week 8 matchup with the Washington Commanders.
A Hurts Injury Would Be a Major Blow to the Eagles’ Offense
This season has seen Hurts take a step back in some ways from his 2022 season. Entering Sunday Night Football, he was completing passes at an almost identical rate, but the numbers around those passes are less convincing. His yards per attempt have dropped from 8.0 to 7.2, and his touchdown rate is down to a career-low 3.3%.
Perhaps the most concerning aspect for the Eagles has been the turnovers. Hurts had already thrown seven interceptions at a career-high rate of 3.3% before throwing an eighth in this game. His career high in terms of raw interception numbers is nine from 15 games in 2021. He will have to be almost immaculate from now until the end of the season not to top that.
However, despite those concerns, there is no doubt that Hurts is a far superior option for this offense than Mariota. Despite the decreased passing efficiency, Hurts’ QBR from ESPN entering Week 7 was 59.9. That saw him tied for 10th with Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford.
If Hurts were to miss time, this Eagles offense would see a reasonably big downgrade. With the 49ers still to play in Week 7 and the Cowboys having had their bye this week, the Eagles have taken the top spot in terms of the most points scored in the NFC. Hurts has contributed heavily to that with nine passing touchdowns and five rushing scores.
There is never a good time for your starting QB to potentially miss time with an injury, but if he’s struggling, Philadelphia may decide that now is the time to rest him for a week or two.
MORE: A.J. Brown Injury Update
Their next game comes against a Washington team that could only manage seven points in Week 7. They then face Dallas in Week 8 before a bye in Week 9.
While the Eagles would not want to be without Hurts for that game against the Cowboys, who figure to be their main rivals for the NFC East, there is a more sustained challenge to come after the bye. Philadelphia comes out of the bye with five games against teams with winning records.
- Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
- Week 12: vs. Buffalo Bills
- Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys
- Week 15: at Seattle Seahawks
That is a stretch they would not want to face either with an injury-limited starting QB or without him entirely. If this knee injury does turn out to be more than it first appears, the Eagles may want to consider sitting Hurts for a couple of weeks to make sure he’s fully healthy for their post-bye run into the playoffs.