PHILADELPHIA – Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has signaled that Kenny Pickett will start Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys as Jalen Hurts continues to recover from a concussion.

“(Hurts) is still on the record. It will be difficult for him to make it this week,” Sirianni said Friday before the quarterback was officially ruled out.

Hurts left last week’s game against the Washington Commanders midway through the first quarter after his head collided with the turf when he was hit by linebacker Frankie Luvu as he fell to the ground following a 13-yard run.

Hurts was replaced by Pickett, who went 14 of 24 for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 36-33 loss.

Pickett injured his ribs in the fourth quarter when he was tackled in the backfield by linebacker Bobby Wagner. He remained in the game, but had an X-ray immediately afterwards and had follow-up tests on Monday.

Pickett did not disclose the results of those tests, but said the injury is “something I have to deal with.” He plans to wear additional padding around his rib area in addition to the protective vest he normally wears on game day.

Tanner McKee will assume the role of No. 2 quarterback behind Pickett. McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick out of Stanford, has impressed in training camp practices and preseason games over the past two seasons. He’s been working on getting snaps from center Cam Jurgens this week, so it’s nothing new for him if he were to be used in Sunday’s game.

The Eagles’ chances of securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC fell to 4% after the loss to the Commanders, according to NFL NextGen Stats, but Philadelphia can still win the division with a win over Dallas or a Commanders loss or tie win against the Atlanta Falcons.