Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts is never one to tip his hand when it comes to anything that could someone else a competitive advantage. No bulletin board material. No controversial statements. And, certainly, no injury updates.
Hurts is nursing a sore knee after twisting it in an awkward fashion last week. The Eagles quarterback briefly left the game, with TV cameras showing backup Kenny Pickett warming up on the sideline.
Hurts, defiantly, returned and finished the game. Teammate A.J. Brown described that scene.
“He’s a warrior so he went out for a little bit,” Brown told reporters. “They said Kenny was warming up, and we looked up and he [Jalen] was warming up so that tells you everything about him. That doesn’t surprise me.“
Jalen Hurts #eagles
Injured on this play. Left ankle gets trapped and rolled over, common mechanism for high ankle and/or knee sprain. Right leg also takes some stress but I don’t see anything highly concerning there.
I suspect he will be able to finish the game but may be a… pic.twitter.com/VK7ooJejex
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) January 19, 2025
Hurt isn’t fully healed — one local orthopedic surgeon speculated that he may have a mild MCL sprain — but expect him out there on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, probably wearing a brace on his knee.
“Just progressing, taking it a day at a time,” Hurts said. “I was able to participate today [Wednesday] and be involved in stuff, so just taking it a day at a time.”
So, is he playing? “Yeah,” Hurts said.
Okay, but will he be able to run like normal?
“Every game is different,” Hurts said, “so take it a day at a time and continue to progress.”
Meanwhile, Hurts is still dealing with a lingering finger injury sustained in December when he broke a digit on his non-throwing hand. That one isn’t quite mended.
“Progressing, getting better,” Hurts said of the finger, shaking his head no when asked if it was 100-percent.
Eagles Harping on Ball Security at Practice
The Eagles haven’t turned the ball over since Kenny Pickett threw an interception on December 22. And Jalen Hurts hasn’t coughed it up since throwing a pick on November 10. The team only committed 15 giveaways all year which was tied for the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL.
Guess what? It’s not a coincidence. The coaching staff preaches ball security every day at practice.
“Every day of the week we start practice, or we start film with ball security,” Saquon Barkley said. “And we know the stats behind it. If you take care of the ball, it gives you a better chance to win the football game.“
#Eagles stats & rankings this season:
Offense
PPG: 27.2 (7th)
YPG: 367.2 (8th)
Pass YPG: 187.9 (29th)
Rush YPG: 179.3 (2nd)
Giveaways: 15 (6th)
3rd down %: 41.7% (10th)Defense
PPG: 17.8 (2nd)
YPG: 278.4 (1st)
Pass YPG: 174.2 (1st)
Rush YPG: 104.2 (10th)
Takeaways: 26 (6th)… pic.twitter.com/JoQvxIyXYK— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) January 23, 2025
Barkley credited Coach Jemal Singleton and Coach Nick Sirianni for pounding the importance of winning the turnover battle into their brains.
He also called out rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. for working the hardest reps on the scout team. He’s constantly trying to rip the ball out from Barkley at practice.
“You cannot be great without the greatness of others,” Barkley said, stealing a favorite quote from Sirianni. “The way that they [my teammates] push me, the way that they have confidence in me, helps me and makes me want to go out there and play at a high level.“
Eagles Players Bid Fond Farewell to Snow
While Eagles fans seemed to enjoy the snow-globe atmosphere inside Lincoln Financial Field last week, the players skidding and trudging in it walked out with a different opinion. A.J. Brown hated it, dropping two catchable balls including a would-be touchdown.
“That damn snow. It was tough,” Brown said. “A lot of opportunities left out there. I’m not the one to make excuses but I hold on to that ball 99 times, but it happens and when stuff like that happens, your attention to detail has to go up. And, in that moment, I slipped, and it is what it is. I still have all the confidence in the world in myself.”
A.J. Brown now dropping a touchdown.
You can’t do all of his selfish nonsense and drop a MASSIVE TD. That’s two BIG drops #LARvsPHI
🎥 @sluggahjells pic.twitter.com/2uuTXREM7A
— The Whole Delivery (@TWDTV1) January 19, 2025
Meanwhile, the Eagles are actually selling game-used snow from that game in ice cream containers. It sold out almost immediately. When told about the viral snow sale, Darius Slay started laughing and praising the hometown fans.
“That’s why they best city,” Slay said. “They passionate around here. They buying snow. I love it.” Then, Slay joked that he was going to package up some snow and sell it.
Saquon Barkley Creeping Up on Terrell Davis’ Record
Saquon Barkley halted his chance at NFL history after sitting out the final regular-season game in an effort to stay healthy for the postseason. Two weeks later, the star back is approaching another chance at immortality — Barkley can break Terrell Davis’ single-season rushing mark of 2,476 yards. He only needs 148 yards to set the new record.
“It would be amazing,” Barkley said of breaking Davis’ record. “It would be something that helps with the legacy play, you know, with being named and being mentioned with what I want to do and what I want to accomplish in this game, but that doesn’t happen if we don’t take care of what we need to take care of this Sunday.“
Just in case you didn’t understand the meaning of that last line, Barkley elaborated on what he meant by saying: “Win and move on. That’s the only thing that’s important. Numbers don’t matter.” Neither do records.
Jalen Carter Keeps Wowing His Eagles Teammates
Jalen Carter’s sack on Matthew Stafford with 1:10 left in the game secured the Eagles’ win in the divisional round. Not only did the critical play force a fourth down, but it stopped a potential touchdown as replays showed Stafford had Tyler Higbee open over the middle.
Rookie Cooper DeJean has been in awe of Carter’s heroics all year, although that singular play may have been his best one. It was definitely a wow moment.
DeJean described it: “Watching that play, when he got that sack on Stafford, in that two-minute drive, him kind of faking a stunt … they were sliding to him, so he faked the stunt and got the center to turn his head and came right back for the sack. He’s made a ton of plays but that one stands out the most.”
Big dawg in big moments. 🐶
Jalen Carter’s game-winning sack saved the @Eagles season.#NFLTurningPoint on ESPN+ | @LRiddickESPN pic.twitter.com/BSKPrW21GW
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 22, 2025
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
