The Philadelphia Eagles have Super Bowl expectations, but could those plans be derailed by Jalen Hurts' latest injury?
Hurts was seen wearing a brace on his knee during the second half of the Eagles 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. While donning the brace, Hurts threw a pick-six during the third quarter, but rebounded with a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver A.J. Brown.
As of now, there is no reason for Eagles fans to worry. Despite the scare, Hurts was good to play the entire second half. The injury is not serious and he is taking it day-to-day. He also plans to play versus the Washington Commanders. The knee injury may prevent Hurts from keeping the ball as much or scrambling, but other than limited mobility, Hurts should be good to go.
There was a lot of talk this past week about Trevor Lawrence having to deal with his knee injury ahead of the Jaguars Thursday Night Football matchup against the Saints, but he ended up leading his team in rushing with eight carries for 59 yards. It's uncertain if Hurts has a similar injury or pain level to Lawrence, but it's an optimistic sign for Eagles fans.
Most importantly, Hurts himself isn't treating the injury as a dire one. If Hurts is managing it with reasonable expectations, Eagles fans should remain calm as well.
“Being banged up, it's just trying to find ways to win. I don't want to make it bigger than what it is,” Hurts said during Wednesday's press conference. “I think it's something that comes with every player in this league. Things happen, and you find ways to overcome them,” via Nubyjas Wilson of Newsweek.
Jalen Hurts even missed two games last year and the Eagles still went to the Super Bowl. The Eagles lost both of the games Hurts missed and it did not stop Philadelphia from getting the No. 1 seed and steamrolling their way to the Super Bowl. Philadelphia wound up losing the big game, but they were close to taking it home despite Hurts dealing with an injury earlier in the year.
Now, to keep Eagles fans from actually having to worry down the road, the Eagles and Hurts need to play carefully so he doesn't sustain a worse injury to his knee. Though Hurts is one of the tougher quarterbacks in the league, he still can't afford to risk getting further injured.
Any serious injury to Hurts could definitely hurt the Eagles' chances the rest of the year. Hurts has been not just the engine of the Eagles' offense, but an MVP candidate the past couple seasons. This season, Hurts has completed 67.2% of his passes for 1,821 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also has 74 carries for 274 yards and six rushing touchdowns. His numbers don't look spectacular, but he is still third in the MVP race right now since the Eagles are 6-1.
The Eagles have a challenging schedule the rest of their season which also makes Hurts' health even more important. With upcoming games versus the Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia will face plenty of tests the remainder of the way. If Hurts' status is in jeopardy at any point later in the year, it could diminish the Eagles' shot at the top seed.
So long as Hurts doesn't aggravate his injury or miss more than a few games, the Eagles will be fine. They have a solid backup quarterback in Marcus Mariota, who can rely on the incredibly talented defense, offensive line, running game and receiving duo at his disposal if he has to fill in for a game or two.