During Sunday’s 42-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, quarterback Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles was out for five snaps as he underwent evaluation for a concussion. However, some people think Hurts should sit out this season for the Eagles.
Because he doesn’t think Jalen Hurts is healthy enough to lead the Eagles, NFL Network analyst David Carr stated on Tuesday that backup quarterback Marcus Mariota would be a better choice as the starting quarterback.
Later, Carr said on X, “Get Jalen healthy if Philly wants to win it all.” If not, watch the Super Bowl at home while playing your injured quarterback. incredibly simple.
Late in the third quarter, with the Eagles behind the 49ers, 28-13, Jalen Hurts was hurt when 49ers linebacker Oren Burks tackled him while he was scrambling. After being examined in the blue medical tent, he proceeded to the locker room to undergo more testing to rule out a concussion.
Mariota joined the game for five plays after being signed by the Eagles in the offseason to serve as Hurts’ backup. Before Hurts, who had made his way back to the sidelines, rejoined the game, he completed two of three throws for 16 yards and ran twice for six yards, helping the Eagles to their last touchdown on the same drive.
Hurts, who has also struggled with a knee issue for the majority of the season, is not on the Eagles’ injury report this week. The Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys, an NFC East foe, on Sunday night.
According to the NFL’s tiebreaking processes, the Eagles may fall as low as the No. 5 seed if they lose to the Dallas Cowboys. Philadelphia, who leads the NFC’s race for the top spot by one game following their defeat to the 49ers, cannot afford another setback.
Any argument that Mariota is superior to Hurts must be carefully considered. Hurts, whose combination of arm and leg scores has scored a league-high 31 touchdowns, is still a top contender for the NFL MVP award, despite a setback to his chances following Sunday’s loss.
Rallying the Eagles to come-from-behind victory is how Jalen Hurts earned his MVP reputation. He has accomplished this five times this season, including four weeks in a row. Philadelphia would not be near the top of the NFC rankings without Hurts on the field.
Former No. 2 overall pick Mariota had a big role for the Atlanta Falcons in the previous season. Before being benched in favor of then-rookie Desmond Ridder, he led the Falcons to a 5-8 record while starting 13 games, tossing 15 touchdown passes and eight interceptions.
He is a capable dual-threat quarterback, but he is not nearly as good as Hurts. He isn’t the starter because of this; he is the backup. Additionally, other teams have a far better chance of defeating the Eagles on any snap while Mariota is behind center than they would when Hurts is playing.
There is no need to keep Hurts off the field until he is seriously injured and is described as anything more serious than “questionable” on the Eagles’ injury report this week. This is especially true if doing so will put them in the driver’s seat for homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
If the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl for the second time in a row in February, it will be because Mariota—not Hurts—is donning a baseball cap while watching from the sidelines.
