As the Philadelphia Eagles get ready for the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has quarterback Jalen Hurts back on the field.
Hurts sustained a concussion in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders, and he will play his first snaps since that game on Sunday. Sirianni made it official on Friday that Hurts cleared concussion protocol.
“We’re always careful with him,” Sirianni told reporters. “He’s our quarterback, so we always want to be careful with him. We always think about his health first and foremost because you never want him not to be on the field.”
Hurts has been solid this season amid a career-best 68.7 percent completion rate, 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns versus five interceptions. On the ground, Hurts has performed as well as ever with 630 yards for 14 touchdowns on 150 carries.
“You always want Jalen Hurts on the field. You always feel better when Jalen Hurts is on the field. It’s always part of our process and our plan to make sure that when he does carry the football on planned runs that we try to protect him,” Sirianni said.
While the Eagles (14–3) lost to the Commanders, 36–33, when Hurts went down, Philadelphia won the last two games of the regular season without him. That included a 41–7 blowout of the Dallas Cowboys with Kenny Pickett under center and then a 20–13 win over the New York Giants with Tanner McKee at quarterback.
Pickett has been dealing with a rib injury, but he could be the backup to Hurts on Sunday. The former Pittsburgh star played his first two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a starter.
Meanwhile, Hurts will look to get back into rhythm with Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Hurts’s top target has 67 catches for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
“They’ve got a lot of reps together. You know, prior to, you know, these last couple weeks, a lot, a lot of reps together. So that’s not a concern of mine,” Sirianni said regarding rust. “And I just feel like we’re in a good spot going into this game.”
Green Bay’s defense has been tough amid 19.9 points allowed per game for sixth in the league. The Packers (11–6) are in the top 12 for passing yards and touchdowns allowed this season, and the secondary has been able to cause problems amid 17 interceptions while the pass rush has produced 45 sacks.
Hurts had ups and downs against the Packers in their first meeting of the season in Brazil to kick off the season. He threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns versus two interceptions in a 34–29 win.
Hurts said he has been preparing and that he feels confident that he can get back in rhythm with the offense quickly. He has played with injury already this season with a broken finger.