Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts left Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders to be evaluated for a concussion and will not return, per an update from the team.
Hurts took a hard hit by linebacker Frankie Luvu on an early red-zone drive, with his head hitting the ground.
Backup passer Kenny Pickett entered the game and will stay under center for the remainder of it.
Philadelphia can clinch the NFC East crown with a win Sunday, and despite Hurts’ exit, the team was off to a good start, up 7-0.
Pickett proceeded to lead the team to a 21-7 advantage early in the second quarter, giving Eagles fans a slight reprieve without their star quarterback to depend on. Philadelphia led 21-14 at halftime.
It’s unclear how long Hurts will take to clear the league’s concussion protocol after Sunday. He will need to be evaluated by independent neurologists and cleared for team activities at some point ahead of Week 17.
This is the first time in Hurts’ career that he has had to miss game time for a concussion.