Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts left Sunday’s game against the Commanders with a concussion, a major scare for Philadelphia as the team eyes a run at the Super Bowl.
Hurts left the Eagles’ 36-33 loss in the first quarter after his head slammed into the ground on a hit, and he was relieved by Kenny Pickett.
After being examined in the medical tent on the sideline, Hurts, 26, was taken to the locker room for evaluation. He was later diagnosed with a concussion and ruled out for the remainder of the game.
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) December 22, 2024
The Eagles (12-3) then saw their 10-game winning streak snapped and their chances at the NFC’s No. 1 seed worsen as the Lions (13-2) beat the Bears on Sunday.
Hurts had 2,892 yards passing, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions through 14 games with a 69.2 completion percentage.
He also had 589 yards rushing and 14 rushing touchdowns, his fourth straight season recording double-digit rushing scores.
Pickett finished 14-for-24 with 143 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The Eagles led 27-14 entering the fourth quarter but the Commanders scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a go-ahead score with six seconds left when Jayden Daniels hit Jamison Crowder for a 6-yard touchdown.
Concussion recoveries aren’t linear, and Hurts’ status will be up in the air as the Eagles finish the season with home games against the Cowboys and Giants.
The Eagles acquired Pickett, a first-round pick of the Steelers in 2022, from Pittsburgh in March after he struggled in two seasons as a starter, compiling 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 25 games (24 starts).
The Eagles are looking to move past the stench of last season, when they lost five of their final six regular-season games before getting embarrassed by the Buccaneers in the wild-card round, 32-9.
The addition of Saquon Barkley has helped revamp Philly’s offense, with the ex-Giant entering the day with 1,688 yards rushing, 276 yards receiving and 13 total touchdowns, earning himself MVP consideration.
Barkley ripped off a 68-yard touchdown run to put the Eagles up 21-7 in Sunday’s first quarter, at the end of which Barkley had seven rushes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
He finished the day with 150 yards rushing on 29 carries.
