Rookie Jalen Hurts will remain the Philadelphia Eagles‘ starting quarterback for Sunday’s Week 16 game against the Dallas Cowboys, coach Doug Pederson announced Monday.
Hurts had a second straight strong start on Sunday, against the Arizona Cardinals, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another in a 33-26 loss. He ended 24-for-44 for 338 yards and rushed for 63 yards in a comeback bid that fell just short on the road.
This will be the biggest start of Hurts’ young career to date, as the loser between the Eagles (4-9-1) and Cowboys (5-9) will be eliminated from playoff contention.
Pederson stopped short of naming Hurts the starter for the rest of the season — the Eagles close out the regular season against the Washington Football Team in Week 17 — saying he wanted to see how Hurts and the rest of the team responded to Sunday’s loss this week.
“He led the team. He played mentally and physically tough, which was good to see,” Pederson said of Hurts’ performance against Arizona. “He extended plays with his legs. He had to throw probably more from the pocket because of the nature of the game and getting behind early in the football game. I guess the biggest thing is just leading the team and keeping the guys engaged for the entire game and gave us a chance there at the end.”
The performance came on the day it became clear that Carson Wentz isn’t interested in sticking around in Philadelphia if he remains the backup. Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Wentz is not pleased with the way things have unfolded in the organization and wants to move on from the Eagles if the current situation continues, adding more pressure to a quarterback situation that promises to dominate the offseason.
Hurts’ play has given management plenty to think about. He is the first player in NFL history with 500 passing yards and 150 rushing yards in his first two career starts, per Elias Sports Bureau research.
