Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Joins 'Tough as a Shovel' Club After 'Mystery' Injury

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is battling a knee injury that he is taking day by day, but the team seems optimistic he will play against the Washington Commanders

PHILADELPHIA – Lane Johnson had one of the best quotes so far this season when talking about Jason Kelce prior to the veteran center playing in his franchise-record-setting 145th straight game two weeks ago when the Philadelphia Eagles right tackle called Kelce “tough as a shovel.”

Johnson could look into a mirror and say the same thing about himself. And he could say the same thing about Jalen Hurts.

The quarterback was in some distress in Week 7's 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and needed to put on a knee brace to manage his way through the second half. Last year, after injuring his shoulder against the Chicago Bears, Hurts stayed in the game and led the team to a win with strong playmaking in the fourth quarter.

The injury remains a mystery. He said on Wednesday that he and the team are, “Just taking it day by day.”

“I think it’s just things happen as part of the game," Hurts said. "I’ve already said that it didn’t happen in the game, so it’s just something we’re dealing with day by day and taking it one day at a time.”

The good news is that Hurts didn’t appear on the Wednesday injury report as the Eagles get ready for their rematch against the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field on Sunday (1 p.m.).

Jalen Hurts / © Bill Streicher, USA TODAY

The mystery still hasn’t fully unspooled, however, because the report was only an estimation since Wednesday’s practice was just a walkthrough. Thursday could bring new information since the first several minutes of practice will be open to reporters.

“We're confident that he'll be ready to go, but any time these guys are working through pain and things like that...we anticipate him to go," said Sirianni, "but that doesn't mean it's easy. Again, we'll see. We're not going to be out on the field running around (Wednesday), so I still need a little bit more time.

“I think he's feeling better. I'll let you guys ask him that. We're hopeful there will be no limitations on Sunday.”

Despite the knee brace, Hurts led the Eagles on two second-half touchdown drives after throwing a pick-six, which was more a case of bad luck when his throw deflected off a defender and into the hands of Jerome Baker who took it back 22 yards for the score.

“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about (the knee brace),” Hurts said. “I think the better question is how is it playing banged up? Just trying to find ways to win.”

Hurts did exactly that, with one of his big plays a 42-yard connection to A.J. Brown that set up the Eagles at the 8-yard line with less than five minutes to play in a 24-17 game.

“When your general is fighting through stuff, it gives you a little extra (juice) to fight through and get it done,” Brown said. “He’s standing tall in the pocket. He’s doing what he needs to do, and he’s leading us. Whenever you see him fighting through adversity, it gives us momentum and it gives us energy.”

Added Hurts: "From a leadership standpoint, I don’t think I always realize the role and the impact that I have on that because I’m just going out there literally just trying to be the best version of myself and uplift the people around me, and that’s just using my spirit and who I am.

"But when you hear guys acknowledge what you’re dealing with or whatever that is, it’s not something I really want to talk about because the show will go on."

Hurts may have given a bit of clue as to how the injury happened when he said all his injuries have come within the pocket, though he clearly forgot that last year’s shoulder sprain on the frozen turf in Chicago happened while was running the ball.

Still, there is no doubting Hurts’ toughness, something he was asked about.

“I don’t think it’s any tangible thing I can lean on or call on for that,” he said. “It’s just who I am. It’s where I come from and maybe it’s been instilled in me by my father and my parents, seeing the different things I’ve been able to see as a child, maybe those things.”