The Philadelphia Eagles survived a last minute scare against the Los Angeles Rams to proceed to their third Conference Championship game in eight years, winning 28-22 after the Rams’ failed to convert a final 4th and 11 attempt with 26 seconds left in the game.
Yet, one of the bigger questions coming out of the game concerns the health of their franchise quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
Hurts spent five minutes of the third quarter in the medical tent after landing awkwardly post sack, before coming back into the game wearing a brace on his left knee.
Coming back into the game, there were legitimate mobility concerns for the player, with some pro football doctors believing he may have sprained his PCL.
Jalen Hurts – video suggests concern for knee ligament (PCL) sprain.
He’s back, and he’ll likely be ok from the pocket.
Expect major mobility limitations#Eagles pic.twitter.com/o3GMkHpRKc
— Deepak Chona, MD. SportsMedAnalytics (@SportMDAnalysis) January 19, 2025
And Eagles’ fans fears came true in his very next play, as Rams’ defensive tackle, Neville Gallimore took him down for a safety.
Hurts finished the game, and managed to steer the Eagles to victory – helped considerably by Rams fumbles on back-to-back drives, and a huge Saquon Barkley 78 yard fourth quarter touchdown. But there are still questions about his knee injury, and how that might translate to next week’s home bout against NFC East rivals, the Washington Commanders.
Jalen Hurts Gives Short Update On Knee Injury
When asked by Melissa Stark of NBC, Hurts gave a pretty curt response when asked about his knee injury, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
Hurts replied quickly, “I finished the game”.
“I’m sure I’ll get asked about it later”, Hurst continued. “I don’t know if I can answer it right now – but I’m going to go enjoy this win with my teammates.”
Hurts’ non-committal response to his injury nor his availability for the Conference Championship will certainly raise eyebrows, but more will be revealed as details come out later on Sunday night and early next week.
Update: Jalen Hurts Set To Play In NFC Championship Game
Despite these initial fears that Hurts may have his availability compromised for the Eagles’ NFC Championship game against the Commanders, it seems that Hurts has a positive update for Philadelphia fans via Eagles insider, Zach Berman.
Jalen Hurts said he’ll play next week.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) January 20, 2025
This is obviously good news for the NFC’s #2 seed, however it may yet not be all sunshine and roses for Philly, as we are yet to have a proper update on what Hurts’ mobility could look like going into Championship Sunday.
Even if the former Alabama and Oklahoma star does end up starting, there could still be a significant impact on his ability to move in the pocket and execute read option plays.
Although Hurts is not a poor pocket passer by any means, his true threat lies in his ability to make plays on the run and act as a playmaker with his legs.
So for him – more than many other QBs in the league, impaired movement could very well impact his and Eagles’ offensive performance next week – even if he plays the full game.
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Jalen Hurts Issues 4-Word Update On Injured Knee After Playoff Victory