With Jalen Hurts’ health in doubt, the Eagles have to worry about more than the passing game

On By Littum

Nick Sirianni corrected the wording.

A reporter asked the head coach how his Philadelphia Eagles responded after losing franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts to a concussion.

Hurts suffered a concussion in the first quarter of a 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, leaving Kenny Pickett playing in relief after just four passes.

“How about adjusting on the fly when Kenny comes in?” asked the reporter. “Because he’s obviously a very different quarterback than Jalen as far as being a plus-one (able to pass and run).”

Sirianni did not touch the end of the inquiry. Instead, he honed in on the beginning.

“There’s nothing we leave to ‘something we do on the fly,'” Sirianni said. “There are times when we have to adjust certain things, but we go into the game with a plan in case that happens. We go into a game with a plan in case (two quarterbacks) go down.

“It’s not something that’s on the go.”

If the answer bordered on sensitivity, Sirianni may have reason to. Head coaches will rarely say out loud that losing their starting quarterback cost them a game. Sirianni instead repeatedly emphasized accountability across the team and especially on him as head coach.

And yet what Sirianni didn’t say resonated as much as what he did say: No matter how well the Eagles plan for the loss of their franchise quarterback, their backups won’t be able to replicate the dual-threat ability Hurts brings.

Pickett doesn’t have Hurts’ arm, and he doesn’t have Hurts’ long-term chemistry with targets, including AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Pickett is not receiving regular practice reps with either of them, he confirmed, and the quarterback also reminded reporters that offensive coordinator Kellen Moore had not previously called a play with Pickett responsible for execution.

The nuance matters, because while Sunday’s adjustments against the Commanders allow the Eagles to be more prepared for a Pickett return than they were in his first meaningful action (he had attempted three total throws in the Eagles’ first 14 games), Philadelphia’s high postseason goals will suffer if Hurts’ injury lasts several weeks.

The passing game wouldn’t be the biggest loss.

Take the Eagles running game with Hurts … and then without

After picking up a pass-heavy win the previous week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Eagles leaned heavily on the run to start against the Commanders.

Saquon Barkley’s first rush went for 19 yards and his next for 13. Fellow running back Kenny Gainwell got a carry and Hurts converted. In all, Philadelphia’s first drive included six carries and two incompletions. Never mind that they passed for zero yards. With Hurts in the game and a shorter turnover on downfield, Barkley capped the Eagles’ first series with a 2-yard touchdown run.

And Philadelphia was ready to keep it going.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter stripped Brian Robinson on the Commanders’ first play of the next series, with the fumble returning the ball to the visitors. Hurts found Smith for 11 yards and then scrambled to the 22. Why wouldn’t he scramble again to ease the load on second-and-20?

But it was then that Hurts hit his head. On a zone-read keeper, which will expose a quarterback more than just a pass, Hurt suffered a concussion that ruled him out for the final 54 minutes and eight seconds of the NFC East contest.

At that point, the Eagles had rushed eight times for 79 yards and a touchdown, a whopping 9.9 yards per carry. carry.

They would keep the running momentum going a little longer as Barkley followed lead blocker CJ Uzomah through defenders with 2:29 to play in the first quarter and exploded as he hit the next level en route to a 68-yard touchdown.

But what in the first quarter looked like a day where the Eagles’ line of scrimmage would simply overpower the Commander’s would not continue.

Without Hurts, the Eagles’ average yards per carry dropped. carry from 9.9 to 4.3 yards including the 68-yard burst. Take away that layup, and the Eagles combined for just 2.13 yards on their non-Hurts carries.

Barkley managed 27 yards on 16 carries in the second half. Without a reliable running game, the Eagles found themselves at unfavorable downs and yards, unable to keep the drive alive. They kicked four field goals after halftime, but scored no touchdowns in the second half in a game they lost by three.

Five defensive takeaways weren’t enough to overcome a run game that was telegraphed without Hurts’ combined lure and production.

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Quiz a friend on who led the league in rushing touchdowns this weekend, and you’ll probably stop them.

Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry is a good guess with an impressive 13 points on the ground. Buffalo Bills’ James Cook tied Henry at 13, while a three-way tie at 12 includes Lions’ David Montgomery, Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs and Los Angeles Rams’ Kyren Williams.

Barkley is one of four players who entered the weekend ranked 11th.

But towering over all the prolific running backs with the most points entering this week was one quarterback: Hurts had 14.

At times, the Eagles have run their trademark “Brotherly Shove” to send Hurts into the end zone. Other times, he simply reads the offensive line he has come to know so well and lets his athleticism and instincts take it from there.

When Barkley entered this week leading the league with 1,688 rushing yards, he knew his skills were necessary but not sufficient ingredients to explain. The Eagles’ offensive line is far superior to what Barkley ran behind with the Giants. Brown and Smith make for a far deadlier receiving corps than Barkley’s counterparts, who commanded defensive attention during his six seasons in New York.

And then there’s Hurts. His impact on the running game cannot be overstated. Just ask Barkley.

“A lot of things we do in our run game are designed with Jalen,” Barkley said. “It’s kind of hard to keep running the same things when he’s not in there. So we had to adjust (and) just didn’t make the plays we needed to make.”

The Eagles have already clinched their spot in the playoffs. They still control their way to the division title and a home playoff game. Hurts could still recover quickly enough to clear the concussion protocol before the Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys next week, weeks before the postseason begins.

Sirianni said he had no updates on Hurts’ health after the game or his return timeline.

“Anything to do with the head is out of our hands,” Sirianni said.

It’s too early to say when Hurts will return. It’s not too early to say that the Eagles’ success, especially in the run, will depend heavily on his availability.

“He’s our starting quarterback,” Barkley said, “Everything we do and what he’s able to do is why we’ve been super successful.”