Jalen Hurts injury update: Eagles QB unlikely to play Week 17 against Cowboys due to concussion, report says

Eagles fans had their holiday season ruined a bit when Jalen Hurts exited Philadelphia’s Week 16 matchup against the Commanders early after suffering a head injury. With Hurts out, the Commanders rallied for an upset that hampered Philadelphia’s chances of clinching the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

Hurts received a “did not practice” designation during Wednesday’s projected injury report (the Eagles did not practice), and again on Thursday. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Thursday that Hurts is still in concussion protocol ahead of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

NFL Media reported later Thursday that these revelations suggest Hurts is still in the early stages of the NFL’s five-step protocol for returning from a concussion, and that Hurts is unlikely to play on Sunday.

Reserves Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee were seen warming up alongside Ian Book, who recently signed to the Eagles’ practice squad, during practice this week. Pickett, who played most of last Sunday’s game, was listed as limited during Wednesday’s projected practice with a rib injury, and a full participant Thursday. He said he doesn’t expect to have any limitations on Sunday.

“Something I’m going to have to deal with,” Pickett said of his injury.

Hurts suffered the injury during a 13-yard run on the Eagles’ second drive against the Commanders. He left the game after being tackled by Commanders veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner. Leading 7-0 at the time, Pickett entered the game and immediately completed a 10-yard pass to AJ Brown. The duo capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown, Pickett’s first touchdown since being traded from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia last offseason.

Pickett led the Eagles on five more scoring drives, but Philadelphia came up short after Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels led Washington in a successful two-minute drill that culminated with his game-winning touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left.

The loss prevented the Eagles from winning their third division title in four years. Philadelphia can, however, regain the NFC East division title if they defeat their rival Cowboys on Sunday (they will also clinch the NFC East title if the Commanders lose to the Falcons). The Eagles could count on Pickett in that game if Hurts remains in the protocol.

While he’s only in his third season, Pickett played under similar circumstances during his rookie season in Pittsburgh. At 3-7 through 10 games, the Steelers had virtually no margin for error when it came to their playoff hopes. While Pittsburgh ultimately did not make the playoffs that year, they came close after Pickett helped them to a 6-1 record over their final seven games. That stretch included three game-winning drives led by Pickett, the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

“I thought Kenny responded really well as far as just jumping in there,” Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said of Pickett’s performance against the Commanders. “I thought the way he handled the first drive, he jumped out there, it was a third-and-7, and he converted. It resulted in a touchdown on that drive.

“I thought he certainly did a lot of good things in the game. In the end, all of us together didn’t do enough to finish that game. I think it’s an incredible opportunity for all of us to learn and grow, but I thought Kenny fought it all the way. “