Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts missed the final two games of the regular season due to a concussion suffered in Week 16, but the 26-year-old QB cleared concussion protocol on Friday, clearing the way for him to get the start in Philly's Wild Card Round matchup with the Green Bay Packers. It should go without saying that Hurts' availability is crucial to Philadelphia's postseason hopes, and that's not just because relying on either Kenny Pickett or Tanner McKee in a high stakes Playoff game is a recipe for an early exit.
There aren't many quarterbacks in the NFL who provide as much to their team's offensive attack as Hurts does. Not only is the 5th-year signal caller an improving passer — 68.7% completion and a 103.7 passer rating were career highs for Hurts — but he's also one of the league's most effective weapons in the run game. Not only is Hurts the key to Philly's borderline unstoppable Tush Push, he's also proven to be effective in both designed quarterback runs and as a scrambler when passing plays break down.
However, because Jalen Hurts is returning from a concussion, there's some skepticism that the Eagles will ask as much of him in the run game as they traditionally have, and one prominent NFL analyst believes that if Hurts isn't given a full workload during the Playoffs, the Eagles Super Bowl chances are as good as Aaron Rodgers' chances of returning to the New York Jets if said analyst becomes the team's next head coach.
“The only way [the Eagles] are going to win is that quarterback run game because they're not good enough to sit back and beat you with Jalen Hurts from the pocket.” 😳
—@CoachRexRyan on what the Eagles need from QB Jalen Hurts 👀 pic.twitter.com/UH4RQoMipy
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 11, 2025
“This is a team that is built to go the distance. This is probably the most talented team in the NFC, and maybe the entire league,” Rex Ryan said. “But to me, the only way they're gonna win is that quarterback run game, because they're not good enough to sit back and beat you with Jalen Hurts from the pocket.”
Respectfully, this isn't a totally accurate assessment of Hurts' skillset or the Eagles approach. Not only is Hurts one of the league's most accurate passers — his 79.1% on-target percentage was 6th-best in the league — but with Saquon Barkley in the picture, the Eagles can afford to rely less on Hurts in the run game than they have in recent years. Case in point: in their 34-29 win over the Packers in Week 1, Hurts rushed for just 33 yards on 13 carries while Barkley carried 24 times for 109 yards and two scores.
With that said, having Hurts at something close to 100 percent, and being able to utilize his legs without having too much of a worry would certainly open up the playbook in a way that the Eagles would benefit from on Sunday afternoon and beyond.