Jalen Hurts ruled out of game vs. Commanders with concussion, replaced by Kenny Pickett

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts left Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders with a concussion.

He sustained the injury in the first quarter on an Eagles touchdown drive. He was slow to get up after his head hit the turf on a tackle and jogged to the sideline. He was replaced by backup Kenny Pickett and did not return. The Eagles eventually ruled him out.

Pickett completed 3 of 3 passes on the drive including a touchdown to A.J. Brown to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 14-0. Hurts left the field for the locker room, and the Eagles announced before their next possession that he was being evaluated for a concussion.

Pickett returned to the field for Philadelphia’s next drive and threw an interception to linebacker Frankie Luvu.

Washington scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 14-7.

Pickett’s touchdown was his first since joining the Eagles in the offseason. Pickett previously started for two seasons with the Steelers after Pittsburgh selected him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He last threw a touchdown on Nov. 2, 2023, in Week 8.

He then lost his starting job after failing to throw a touchdown in four consecutive games. The Eagles traded for Pickett in the offseason to back up Hurts.

Hurts left the game with the Eagles battling for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Eagles entered Sunday at 12-2, in a three-way tie with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings for the best record in the conference. A two-time Pro Bowler, Hurts entered Sunday having completed 69.2% of his passes for 206.6 yards per game with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.