The Philadelphia Eagles have been without NFL All-Pro quarterback for the final three weeks of the regular season, as he has been in concussion protocol since the first quarter of a loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 16.
While life without Hurts hasn’t been bad, and backup quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee have both performed excellently as Hurts missed the final two games of the regular season, it’s difficult to imagine the Eagles making it to the Super Bowl without Hurts.
As the No. 2 seed Eagles approach Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Game against the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers in Philadelphia, Hurts’ participation remains in doubt with the admission that he remains in concussion protocol for the third consecutive week.
Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the problem with Hurts in the same way he did since the injury, stating that it is out of his hands.
“Nick Sirianni says he has no new information on Jalen Hurts today,” John Clark of NBC Sports Philly wrote on his official X account on January 7. “It looks like we won’t know if Jalen will practise on Wednesday until… Wednesday.”
The Eagles went 2-1 without Hurts, with Pickett starting in a Week 17 win over the Dallas Cowboys before leaving with a rib injury and being replaced by McKee. McKee made his first career start against the New York Giants in Week 18, leading the Eagles to a 20-13 victory with most of the Eagles’ finest players out because the game had no playoff implications.
Hurts Has Battled Nagging Injuries
Hurts has battled injuries and outside noise throughout the second part of the season, and he has somehow led the Eagles to ten consecutive victories in the midst of it all.
Hurts had to deal with an independent neurotrauma special in the first half of Week 11 against the Commanders, but he came back to lead the Eagles to a 26-18 victory.
Hurts told The Associated Press after the Eagles’ 27-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 that he was playing with a broken finger on his left, non-throwing hand.
According to the Associated Press, “It’s broken, and it did impact my play,” Hurts said. “”I’ve known it’s been in this state for a week, and I don’t want to put too much more into it. I don’t think things got any worse today. If it’s shattered, it’s broken. “It is what it is.”
Hurts agreed to a 5-year, $255 million contract deal before the 2023 season.
McKee Might Be Better Option Than Pickett
McKee, 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds, was selected by the Eagles in the sixth round (No. 188 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft out of Stanford. He’s also more of a pocket passer than Pickett, which could make him a better option for the Eagles with elite downfield receiving threats in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, as well as the return of tight end Dallas Goedert. He also has minimal impact on what the Eagles will do in the run game with 2,000-yard runner Saquon Barkley.
McKee, who replaced Pickett against the Cowboys, finished 3-for-4 passing for 54 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in the 41-7 victory. McKee completed 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants.
