Jalen Hurts is coming into the NFC Championship Game with a bad knee, possibly an undiagnosed MCL sprain and he’ll likely wear a protective brace. That could severely limit his mobility in the pocket and, more drastically, in the RPO game.
While Hurts refused to speak on his ability to run — “Every game is different, so take it a day at a time and continue to progress,” he told reporters — it is a cause for legitimate concern. It’s something not lost on the Commanders as they prepare to play the Eagles. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt made a point to say that Washington plans to “treat him like a running back” and “hit him that way” if they choose to let him run like normal.
Fighting words? Maybe.
Head coach Nick Sirianni commented on Whitt’s remarks during his media availability earlier this week. He seemed to indicate that Washington’s plan of attack wouldn’t alter his game plan.
“No. Every team is going to try to tackle Jalen like a running back. He’s running with the football. They’ll try to tackle him,” Sirianni told reporters. “We already are ultimately cautious with how we use him and how we think about each play because we know how important it is to have him out there.”
“But I wouldn’t expect anything else. Jalen knows how to take care of himself, and we know how to help him do that as well as far as the way the scheme goes.”
👀 Watch out Jalen Hurts?
Commanders DC Joe Whitt Jr says they will hit Eagles QB #JalenHurts if he runs like a RB
“we are going to hit him that way. That’s their decision if they want to get him hit the way that he gets hit”https://t.co/ZCfqwTKQDK pic.twitter.com/DkhcWE9zqM
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) January 23, 2025
Eagles vs. Commanders: 5 Key Players to Watch
Cam Jurgens
The Pro Bowl center is listed as questionable after being a limited participant at Friday’s practice. He missed two straight practices due to a back issue earlier in the week, although his absence on Wednesday was technically an “estimation” since the Eagles did a walkthrough. Still, it was telling to see Landon Dickerson out there taking reps at center with Tyler Steen working in at left guard. Everyone in the locker room seemed confident about Jurgens suiting up on Sunday, but it could now be a game-time decision. Something to monitor.
Jurgens was the fifth-highest-graded player last week (via Pro Football Focus) on offense. He’s also enjoyed a breakout year all around — his 68.5 pass-blocking grade ranked No. 19 among all centers — while playing on the most run snaps (548) in the NFL. It should be noted that his strength lies in run-blocking as PSN’s Anthony DiBona mentioned. Hopefully, the back injury doesn’t hinder him.
Cam Jurgens had arguably his worst pass blocking performance of the season against the Rams.
Jurgens allowed four total pressures, including one sack, according to @PFF.
But now it’s fair to wonder if his back injury was the reason why he struggled last week.
— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) January 23, 2025
Jayden Daniels
He is the life-blood for everything the Commanders do on offense. As Darius Slay pointed out, Daniels might be the greatest rookie quarterback in NFL history. He cooked the Eagles in their Week 16 matchup — 24-of-39 for 258 yards, with five total touchdowns — but was he beneficiary of an over-aggressive defense? Vic Fangio blitzed him 35.6% of the time, compared to 12.5% in Week 11. Daniels excels when faced with pressure, owning a 105.5 QB rating versus the blitz for the year, so don’t look for the Eagles to repeat that strategy. Either way, Daniels is a dual-threat star thanks to his quick legs and strong arm.
#Eagles DB Darius Slay speaks on playing the #Commanders to go the Super Bowl and how Jayden Daniels is the best rookie QB ever:
“To see what he’s doing as a rookie, I will say he is the greatest rookie quarterback ever”
(via @bigplay24slay on YT) pic.twitter.com/MDxJCB1ZM6
— 𝒆𝒍𝒊… (@CMNDERS) January 21, 2025
Saquon Barkley
The best running back in football continues to shatter records while winning over Eagles fans with his words. He’s the best thing to happen to Philly since the Liberty Bell. Barkley has racked up 296 yards and four total touchdowns in his two meetings versus Washington this year; better, he has averaged 137 all-scrimmage yards for his career against the Commanders dating back to his Giants days.
Yes, the Commanders seemed to figure him out a bit in Week 16, particularly in the second half but Jalen Hurts was out at that point. Other than that, Barkley has been unstoppable … like a real-life cheat code in Madden. He needs only 148 more yards to edge Terrell Davis for the most rushing yards in a single season, postseason and regular season combined.
Trent Scott
He’ll be the next man up for Washington at right guard after Sam Cosmi tore his ACL. Why are we talking about a career backup? Well, for starters, he’ll be tasked with trying to contain phenom Jalen Carter on the interior. Good luck. Also: Scott doesn’t have a ton of experience — 23 career starts, none of them in the postseason. The undrafted player out of Grambling State has been good enough when inserted in 2024, giving up zero sacks while allowing only one quarterback hit and seven total pressures (via Pro Football Focus). It’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles attack him. Look for Milton Williams to help Jalen Carter make his life a living hell in the trenches.
Jahan Dotson
Call this one a hunch. Dotson saw a surprising 39 snaps last week against the Rams yet finished with no receptions and no targets. When re-watching the game tape, the former first-round pick was wide open on several plays but Jalen Hurts didn’t look his way. Read into that what you will.
The reason he’s making this list is because everyone knows A.J. Brown is hurt — that injured knee is far from 100-percent, plus he looks uncomfortable out there — but the Commanders are going to have to account for him on every snap which could free up room for Dotson to work. Remember, the Commanders gave up on Dotson and traded him to Philly in the middle of training camp, so there could be extra motivation at play. Loading up the Jahan Dotson Revenge Game.
Jalen Hurts ➡️ Jahan Dotson for the first @Eagles TD of the day
📺: #GBvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus
pic.twitter.com/PAhYpk890o— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) January 12, 2025
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
