How long will the Eagles QB be out?

The Philadelphia Eagles entered Week 16 with a vision of winning the NFC East title and competing with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings for the conference’s No. 1 seed.

But now the Eagles have put another wish at the top of their Christmas list: a healthy Jalen Hurts.

Hurts suffered a concussion early in the Eagles’ 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 16. It’s not clear how long he will be sidelined due to the illness, but the Eagles may have to try to win the NFC East title without him.

Here’s everything you need to know about Hurts’ injuries, including the latest updates on how long he may be under the NFL’s strict concussion protocol.

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What happened to Jalen Hurts?

Hurts suffered a concussion following a scramble early in the Eagles’ Week 16 loss to the Commanders. With just under 10 minutes left in the first quarter, he made what appeared to be a planned quarterback play on second-and-20 and gained 13 yards before being brought down by Bobby Wagner.

As Hurts was tackled and headed off, linebacker Frankie Luvu came over to help Wagner. He delivered a hard but legal blow to the Eagles’ quarterback, causing Hurts to hit the ground hard and his head.

Hurts stood up after the game and signaled to referee Alex Moore that he was OK by giving him a thumbs up. But Moore, who looked Hurts directly in the eyes at close range, stopped the play anyway and sent the quarterback off the field to be checked for a concussion.

Hurts appeared ready to return to the game later in the drive, but was called back to the sideline by Philadelphia sideline medical staff. He was then taken to the Philadelphia locker room and diagnosed with a concussion, which ruled him out for the remainder of the game.

Kenny Pickett took over for him and completed 14 of 24 passes for 143 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the loss.

Jalen Hurts injury updates

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni gave little update on Hurts’ status during his postgame press conference.

“I haven’t spoken to the medical staff yet, so I don’t have any updates on all of this yet,” Sirianni told reporters.

Sirianni addressed the brief moment when it appeared Hurts was preparing to get back into the game before he was called back to the sideline. The coach explained that control of Hurts’ status at this point was placed in the hands of the NFL’s Independent Neurotrauma Consultant (UNC) as part of the league’s concussion protocol.

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

Even if Hurts wanted to return to the game or felt able to, he couldn’t do so until he cleared the concussion protocol. He ultimately failed to do this.

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How long will Jalen Hurts be out for?

It’s unclear how long Hurts will be out due to his concussion. The Eagles did not immediately provide an update on his status, but Sirianni will likely do so sometime early in the week.

The good news for Eagles fans is that Hurts could be back for the team’s Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys. He just needs to go through the NFL’s concussion protocol first.

However, Hurts is not guaranteed to pass this test in a short period of time. Several NFL players endured extended absences due to concussions during the 2024 season. That doesn’t just apply to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who missed five games after suffering a concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills and landing on IR; Cleveland Browns receiver Cedric Tillman has missed four games and counting since suffering a concussion in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

All in all, there is a wide range of possible outcomes for Hurts as he looks to return to action and help the Eagles close out the NFC East.

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NFL Concussion Protocol Rules

The NFL’s concussion protocol is a broad guideline designed to protect a player’s safety after a head injury.

It all starts on game day when it is determined that a player needs to be evaluated for a head injury. These are typically signaled by one of the officials or UNC in the locker room watching the players’ movements and reps to detect heavy blows to the head.

Once identified, testing will be conducted by a team’s physician and a UNC. They specifically look for “no-go” symptoms, which include loss of consciousness, confusion, amnesia, ataxia, and more. The two parties will also evaluate the player’s concussion history and review video to further assess the injury.

The team doctor and UNC will also conduct a neurological exam on the player, who will be escorted to the locker room if the secondary evaluation shows doubt about his abilities.

Once a player is in the concussion protocol, they must go through a five-step process before they can play again. Below are those five benchmarks, according to the NFL:

Symptom limited activity
Aerobic exercises
Soccer specific exercise
Club-based non-contact training exercises
Full soccer activity/release

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How long will the Eagles QB be out?

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