Welp, Philadelphia Eagles fans, it's officially official: quarterback Jalen Hurts has been ruled out for Week 17.

I know, hopes were high that the pride of Oklahoma would find a way to tough it out, making the rare start a week removed from taking a nasty concussion at the hands of Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu, but alas, it is not meant to be, with Kenny Pickett instead getting the start while Tanner McKee serves as his backup and Ian Book rounds out the rear as the emergency QB on the practice squad.

Facing off against a Cowboys team that just effectively put CeeDee Lamb on ice for the rest of the season, the Eagles' status as favorites in the game probably goes down, especially considering Dallas has been rather fisty as of late. Still, considering this is a home game, first place in the NFC East could be locked up with a win, and the Eagles will be wearing Kelly Green for goodness sake, the Birds still have a puncher's shot at securing the win, even if it will likely be harder fought than if QB1 was under center.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett (7) runs the ball against Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (94) during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium.
Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Eagles OC Kellen Moore talks the challenges of being a backup QB

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Discussing what it was like to go to a backup quarterback in Week 16 and now potentially again in Week 17 during his weekly media session, Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, himself a career backup QB, noted that it's a unique challenge but that Pickett will be ready for it all the same.

“I think the unique aspect of backup quarterbacks in this league is truly you have to prepare like the starter and you never know when your opportunity is going to present itself. And when they present themselves, sometimes they can be challenging circumstances, unique circumstances. But when it’s your opportunity, you’ve got to go,” Moore told reporters.

“I thought Kenny did a nice job responding. I thought it was so cool to see our guys have the confidence in him to just hop in there and handle a 3rd down, handle another completion, throw a 3rd down touchdown in the red zone. I thought that was a really cool moment, to see him hop in there, and those guys feed into that.”

With a full week to get ready and Hurts away from practice, Pickett had earned plenty of chances to work through the Eagles' offense in the lead-up to Dallas Week pt. 2. While only time will tell how that impacts the Eagles' plans moving forward, be it more short passes, an extended reliance on checkdowns, or a more concerted QB running game, if fans don't fully know what Philadelphia has planned, then neither will Dallas, which is a certified advantage for Nick Sirianni's squad.