Eagles Announce Jalen Hurts' Status For Wild Card Game
The Philadelphia Eagles didn't have Jalen Hurts for the final two games of the regular season due to a concussion. That raised some concerns about his status for the wild card round of the NFL playoffs.
Fortunately for the Eagles, the latest update on Hurts is very encouraging. The Pro Bowl quarterback was listed as a full participant in Thursday's practice. That's a strong sign that he's good to go. ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported that Hurts is "on track" to play against the Green Bay Packers.
Schefter sounded optimistic about Hurts' status as early as this. While on "Get Up," he explained why the dual-threat quarterback is leaning towards being active for Sunday's game.
"With the questions swirling around the Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts returned to the practice field yesterday, which is a sign that he will be back on the field Sunday to play, barring some unexpected setback. He’s been in concussion protocol. He remains in concussion protocol," Schefter said, via On3. "But he is expected to start on Sunday, and so both teams have some health questions around their quarterback, how they’ll respond to what they’ve been through in recent weeks. But Jalen Hurts, barring the unexpected, is expected to start for the Eagles."
The Eagles are going to try to set the tone against the Packers by running the football early and often. If they have success in the ground game, that'll take pressure off Hurts.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 05: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on November 05, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
While there's a chance Hurts could be rusty in his return to the starting lineup, Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said he looked "sharp" at practice.
"I’ve been in this position before with a concussion, and when you miss time, you try and find ways to get back as fast as you can," Mailata said, via the Delaware County Daily Times. "I think he did a great job of dealing with that and coming back as sharp as he did today. I thought he had a phenomenal practice."
In 15 games this season, Hurts has completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 2,903 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has 630 yards and 14 scores on the ground.
The Eagles will need Hurts at their best if they want to make a run back to the Super Bowl. Before they can even dream about getting to the big game though, they'll have to take care of business against the Packers.
