Jalen Hurts has cleared the NFL concussion protocol and will start for the Philadelphia Eagles in their NFC wild-card game Sunday against Green Bay at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app.
The Eagles QB hasn’t played since he suffered a concussion and left a Dec. 22 game early against Washington.
Coach Nick Sirianni said Friday that Hurts, who returned to practice this week, was out of the protocol and was “ready to roll” against the Packers. “He [has] had a good week of practice,” he said. “A really good week.”
Hurts, who played late in the season with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, threw for 2,903 yards this season with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He threw only one interception after the NFC East champion Eagles returned from their Week 5 bye. Thanks to the tush push, Hurts has 14 rushing touchdowns this season.
“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 had 67 catches for 1,079 yards, sat out practice Thursday with both a knee issue and for rest. Sirianni said he had no concerns that Hurts’ production would suffer from the layoff or that he wouldn’t easily again find an instant connection with Brown and fellow star 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.”
Hurts was 20 of 34 for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and led the Eagles to a 34-29 victory over the Packers in the season opener.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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