Jalen Hurts leaves with a concussion as the Eagles’ winning streak ends at 10 p.m

Associated Press

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion minutes into the game and left after evaluation, Kenny Pickett played like a backup quarterback and the Philadelphia Eagles’ winning streak is over.

Hurts was forced off early in a 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday after hitting his head on the ground during one run and being hit in the helmet by Frankie Luvu at the end of another. Coach Nick Sirianni had no news on the status of his starting quarterback afterward.

“I haven’t spoken to our medical staff yet,” Sirriani said. “Everything that has to do with the head is out of our hands.”

Hurts’ status for next week’s home game against Dallas will remain in place for the Eagles, who may have missed their chance for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the corresponding first-round bye.

“We didn’t play our ball,” said receiver DeVonta Smith, who dropped a wide-open pass late that would have given Philadelphia a first down and a chance to seal it. “We shot ourselves in the foot. A lot of penalties and stuff like that, and at the end of the day we still had a chance to win.”

Philadelphia’s league-leading defense allowed rookie Jayden Daniels to throw five touchdowns and rush for 339 yards. On the other side of the ball, after 109 yards and two TD runs in the first quarter, Saquon Barkley only had 41 yards the rest of the way.

The Commanders rushing the line of scrimmage to take away Barkley after Hurts left had a lot to do with it. Pickett completed 14 of 24 passes for 143 yards, a TD pass to AJ Brown and an interception in his first significant action since Dec. 3, 2023, with Pittsburgh against Arizona – his final game for the Steelers.

“When I got there I tried to channel as much as I could from a preparation perspective, but at the end of the day you just had to play,” said Pickett, who had his injured ribs X-rayed and expects to undergo further testing. “There are definitely plays that I want back and I know that as a team we are striving to get back.”

Teammates were quick to defend Pickett.

“I don’t believe in moral victories, but I’ll definitely give Kenny a shout out,” Barkley said. “The way he came in and reacted put us in a position to win a football game. That’s all we could ask. We didn’t do that as a team.”

There was a lot of blame to go around. Philadelphia played most of the second half without three starters: injured edge rusher Josh Sweat and defensive tackle Jordan Davis, and then safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, who was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct after his second penalty.

Gardner-Johnson posted People on social media said: “Respectfully kicked out for nothing” and said he played with passion and fire. Referee Shawn Smith said the second flag was intended to taunt an opponent.

The Eagles need one more win to clinch the NFC East title and clinch one of the conference’s top two seeds. After the Cowboys next weekend, they finish the regular season against the last-place New York Giants.

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