Jalen Hurts has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and will start for the Philadelphia Eagles in their NFC wild-card game against Green Bay on Sunday.
Hurts hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in a game against Washington on Dec. 22. Coach Nick Sirianni confirmed on Friday that Hurts, who returned to practice this week, is out of the protocol and “ready to roll” for the game against the Packers.
“He’s had a good week of practice. A really good week,” Sirianni said.
Hurts played part of the season with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand and finished with 2,903 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He threw just one interception after the Eagles’ Week 5 bye. Hurts also rushed for 14 touchdowns this season, thanks to the “tush push” play.
“We’re always careful with him,” Sirianni said. “He’s our quarterback so we always want to be careful with him. We always think about his health first and foremost because you never want him not to be on the field.
You always want Jalen Hurts on the field. You always feel better when Jalen Hurts is on the field. It’s always part of our process and our plan to make sure that when he does carry the football on planned runs, that we try to protect him.”
Wide receiver A.J. Brown, who caught 67 passes for 1,079 yards, missed practice on Thursday due to a knee issue and for rest. Sirianni said he isn’t worried about Hurts’ performance after missing time or the connection with Brown and wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
“They’ve got a lot of reps together prior to the last couple of weeks,” Sirianni said. “A lot, a lot of reps together. So that’s not a concern of mine. I just feel like we’re in a good spot going into this game.”
In the season opener, Hurts threw for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, leading the Eagles to a 34-29 win over the Packers.
