For as much as Jalen Hurts hates talking about his injured left knee, even he made an admission on Sunday night.
“Selfishly,” Hurts said, “I don’t think the bye week could have come at a better time.”
No kidding.
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After watching Hurts’ knee get drilled by DeMarcus Lawrence’s helmet late in the second quarter, there were some serious questions about whether or not he’d even be able to finish Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
By now you probably already know: He did and the Eagles won a wild 28-23 game.
While Hurts didn’t leave the field after taking that shot on his knee, the next play was a handoff and Hurts hobbled his way to the bench and then continued to limp into the locker room while there were still 4 seconds left in the first half.
Hurts’ teammates have seen him play through pain before but even they were questioning whether or not their leader would be able to finish the game.
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“I had no idea how he was feeling,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “And I came in at halftime and the guy was walking around perfect with an IV bag, saying, ‘Let’s go. We gotta get this s— rolling.’”
Hurts was the last player to come out of the tunnel for the second half but quickly led the Eagles on a 60-yard touchdown drive to get a lead they ultimately didn’t surrender. While the Eagles’ offense definitely sputtered down the stretch, Hurts was the catalyst in the third quarter as the Eagles built a lead.
His teammates have previously talked about the morale boost it gives them to see their leader play through injury. That boost was there again on Sunday.
“I don’t like it being that way,” Hurts said. “I’d love to be all good but, as I said, I’d do anything for this city and for my teammates. It takes what it takes and that’s simply put. Whatever it takes and I’m just happy that we were able to gut out this win and we showed so much resilience.”
On the afternoon, Hurts ended up completing 17 of 23 passes for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even with the injury, he also rushed 10 times for 36 yards and was able to punch in a touchdown on a QB sneak in the second quarter.
The Eagles have been tight-lipped about Hurts’ injury but there’s really no hiding it. We’ve all watched him limp through moments in games the last few weeks.
“Yeah, again, he's tough as heck,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Never been on the injury report though because his play status has never been in doubt. Great leader, great player, rises to the occasion in big time moments.
“That's who he is. And so, whether his body is feeling 100%, whether his body is not feeling 100%, which nobody's body is at this particular time, he's a warrior. He's going to play through bumps and bruises and at a high level because he's a big-time player.”
Through nine games, Hurts has played every single offensive snap for the Eagles and he’s among the favorites to win the league MVP award.
As the Eagles enter their bye week, they are sitting at 8-1 with the best record in the NFL. They won’t return to action until Monday Night Football in Kansas City on Nov. 20.
That’s a solid two-plus weeks for Hurts to let that knee heal. When asked about the plan for recovery, Hurts said he wasn’t sure.
If nothing else, it won’t hurt to get some rest.
“I don’t really know what to say. It was a gritty win, it was a gritty win,” Hurts said. “It was a tough win. Much respect to that team. Always very competitive and have great players. But I don’t think the bye week could come at a better time.”
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