Jalen Hurts injury: Philadelphia Eagles QB hasn't thrown football since Week 18, says finger is progressing
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With the Philadelphia Eagles heading to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers in the NFL wild card playoffs on Monday night, it appears quarterback Jalen Hurts may not be 100%.
Hurts dislocated his finger after his throwing hand hit the hand of a Giants defender in Week 18. He returned to the game briefly but the team ruled him out after the game turned into a blowout.
On Thursday, the Eagles practiced for the first time in preps for the Bucs, and Hurts said he hasn't thrown a ball since the loss to the Giants.
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"Obviously, leaving that game and attempting to back in that game probably wasn't physically the best idea, not having much control over the things I wanted to do," Hurts said. "But time will tell with that, and I can assure you everything is progressing in the right way."
Hurts was listed as a limited participant in the practice by the team with a right finger injury but says everything is heading in the right direction for him to be ready on Monday night.
"Jalen's tough and he's not going to tell me how bad he's hurting," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. "But you know, I just know how tough he is, how much he can fight through and how pain he can withstand. And so, obviously, it'll be a challenge, right? Obviously it'll be a challenge and I know that he can overcome. Because he's overcame so many things throughout his football journey and that's what makes him special."
Other Hurts playoff injuries
This isn't the first time Hurts is entering the postseason playing through an injury.
Entering the playoffs last season, Hurts was coming off a shoulder injury that forced him to miss two games in the regular season before coming back to beat the Giants to secure the No. 1 seed.
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In the 2021 season, Hurts dealt with an ankle injury that required surgery after the Birds were eliminated from the playoffs.
What about A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith?
The availability of the Birds' top two offensive weapons – A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith – was brought into question entering the week considering both of the wideouts were injured.
And on Thursday, Brown didn't participate in practice due to the knee injury he suffered against the Giants. Brown could still play, but his absence would be significant to an offense that's already struggling and lost five of the past six games entering the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Smith was listed as a full participant after suffering an ankle injury and missing Week 18. He says he's ready to go and will be out there Monday night.
In other Eagles injury news, cornerback Darius Slay practiced fully Thursday after missing the past four games. Running back D'Andre Swift also practiced fully after he missed the last game with an illness.