Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is out of the concussion protocol and is expected to start Sunday against the Green Bay Packers on Wild Card Weekend.
Hurts is looking to take the Eagles back to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years. Despite losing Super Bowl 57 to the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, Hurts had a phenomenal game and left everything on the field.
Jalen Hurts Takes Mediocre Playoff Record Into Wild Card Weekend Against Green Bay
Hurts returns to the lineup after several weeks in the concussion protocol. He hasn’t played since leaving the game early in the first quarter in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders. However, Hurts is healthy now and is going to need to shake off the rust from not playing and have a good first-round playoff game against the Packers.
Hurts has started in five playoff games and has a record of two wins against three losses. Two of his losses have come at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road at Raymond James Stadium, which included last year’s postseason when Tampa Bay won in a rout, 32-9, after the Eagles limped into the playoffs losers of five of their last six regular-season games.
Hurts also came up short in the Super Bowl two years ago against the Chiefs despite rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for a fourth. He also spread the ball around the field and threw for 304 yards.
We haven’t seen Hurts for the last 2.5 weeks of this season, as he finished the year just outside of an A grade with a B+ and fourth overall in Pro Football Network’s QB+ metrics. Meanwhile, he will finish with the highest grade (89.1) of his career.
Playing well from a clean pocket (0.47 EPA/DB; third), on third downs (44.3%; seventh), and having a solid net yards per attempt (7.3; 10th) has been Hurts’ calling card this season. Yet, he’s struggled when having to make plays under pressure, ranking 22nd on the year with a -0.37 EPA/DB (23rd).
Hurts has also been impressive in key situations. He has a 0.52 EPA/DB in the fourth quarter in one-score games, which leads the NFL.
Opposing defenses will likely try to exploit those concerns under pressure in the playoffs. However, teams have to be careful because Hurts is incredible with his legs in space, and if they leave Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith one-on-one in space, the Eagles can be devastating.
In five playoff games, Hurts has gone 106 of 165 for 1,087 passing yards and scattered five touchdowns versus two interceptions. He has also been sacked nine times in those five games.