Eagles’ Jalen Hurts expects to play vs. Commanders in NFC championship, but ‘we’ll see how the week goes’
Hurts suffered an apparent leg injury in the win against the Rams, and it remains to be seen how much it might hamper him in the NFC championship game.
Jalen Hurts said he was confident he would be able to play next Sunday in the NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders despite an apparent injury to his left leg.
The quarterback was vague when first asked how he felt Sunday after the Eagles’ 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field.
“It was a tough game, a challenging game,” Hurts said during his postgame news conference. “I was able to finish the game and we’ll see how the week goes.”
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Asked to clarify if the injury would keep him from facing the NFC East rivals at the Linc, Hurts said he should be able to go.
“Great question,” he said. “No, I’m just seeing how the week will go, seeing how things progress.”
Hurts got injured late in the third quarter when he took a sack. He was slow to get up and on the next play, he simply handed off to running back Saquon Barkley on third-and-17. Kicker Jake Elliott made the subsequent 44-yard field goal in snowy conditions to put the Eagles up, 16-13.
The quarterback, meanwhile, went to the medical tent on the sideline and did not emerge until right before the Eagles offense took the field after the defense forced a three-and-out.
Hurts did not miss a snap the rest of the way. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore had Hurts drop back to throw several more times despite his likely limitations. He was sacked for a safety on the next possession and sacked for the seventh time late in the fourth quarter as the Rams mounted a comeback.
But the Eagles defense eventually withstood the late push.
Hurts played well to start the game and scored on the ground with a 44-yard zone read keep in the first quarter. But he was inconsistent the rest of the way and held the ball too often on several occasions.
Hurts also did not get help from A.J. Brown on a couple of downfield throws that weren’t pulled in. Both the quarterback and receiver said the wintry conditions played a factor in the passing game’s inconsistency.
“It was a new experience,” Hurts said. “Definitely next time it happens I’ll be able to look back at this game and pull from it.”
Hurts also seemed to get hurt on a sack right before the half. He was the last out of the tunnel following the break, but he said he did not suffer a separate injury from the latter one. He did appear to be wearing a brace on his left knee after he went into the tent.
The 26-year-old quarterback missed the final two games of the season after suffering a concussion last month against the Commanders. The Eagles lost at Washington with backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, but they won the next week against the Dallas Cowboys to claim the division title.
Hurts said he doesn’t care that the NFC championship game will set up a rematch with the Commanders, whom the Eagles beat in the first meeting with a healthy quarterback.
“I’m just excited for the next opportunity,” Hurts said.