Just as the Philadelphia Eagles were gaining momentum in the second quarter after coming up empty-handed on their first couple of drives, Jalen Hurts was forced out of the game after getting hit out of bounds.
The NFL called for a concussion check. The star quarterback was forced to go into the medical tent to get evaluated.
As the Eagles worked through their red zone offense, they had the backup quarterback Andy Dalton on the field.
Hurts’ evaluation took longer than expected. The Eagles went through a few plays, and many wondered what was going on.
After the game, Hurts issued an explanation.
Jalen Hurts Explains Frustrating Medical Tent Moment In Eagles-Bears Game
“Just went through the normal evaluation,” Hurts told reporters after the game. “They felt that I needed to do the standard for protocol.”
Many criticized the head coach Nick Sirianni for not calling a timeout in that moment to buy Hurts some time. Both the head coach and the quarterback made it clear after the game that they didn’t know how long the process would take.
Hurts was out of the tent as the Eagles closed the drive, but he made it clear that his absence on the final sequence was a result of the process not being finalized.
“I was still waiting,” he said regarding the third-down play. “I was just waiting for the thumbs up. I felt fine; we already checked it. I don’t know the extent of the process. Obviously, we could’ve expedited things. I felt fine.”
Unfortunately, the Eagles couldn’t find the end zone on their first two plays, which featured runs. When Sean Mannion dialed up a pass for Dalton, he threw into coverage and cost the Eagles points, as the Bears picked up their second of three turnovers on the night.
Hurts was noticeably frustrated throughout the process.
Jalen Hurts Returned To The Action
Monday’s action was a tale of two halves for Jalen Hurts and the offense. There was a lot of promise shown during the first half, as the Eagles scored on the final second of the second quarter to make it a one-possession game.
However, they collapsed as a unit in the second half. The Eagles scored just seven points on the night.
Hurts finished the game by throwing 16-for-25. He didn’t throw any touchdowns and tossed an ugly interception late in the second half. The Bears pulled off an upset with a 27-7 victory.
While the medical tent incident certainly took a lot of momentum away from the Eagles, it was far from the reason why the Eagles lost. With a 2-1 record, the Eagles are now set to face the Los Angeles Rams at home next Sunday. Hurts and the offense have a lot of work to do to get it back together.