Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts missed five snaps as he was evaluated for a concussion Sunday during the Eagles’ 42-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. But some believe the Eagles should keep Hurts on the sidelines for now.
NFL Network analyst David Carr said Tuesday that backup Marcus Mariota would be a better option as the starting quarterback because he doesn’t believe Jalen Hurts is healthy enough to lead the Eagles.
“I’d say he (Mariota) is probably better at playing quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles,” said Carr, a former NFL quarterback who was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2002. “Right now he’d be more productive.”
Carr later added this on X: “If Philly wants to win it all, get Jalen healthy. If not, play your injured qb and watch the (Super Bowl) at home. Really easy.”
Jalen Hurts got hurt when he was hit by 49ers linebacker Oren Burks as he was scrambling late in the third quarter, with the Eagles trailing the 49ers, 28-13. He was checked out in the blue medical tent and then went to the locker room for further evaluation for a possible concussion.
Mariota, whom the Eagles signed in the offseason to be Hurts’ backup, entered the game for five plays. He completed two of three passes for 16 yards and ran twice for six yards before Hurts, who had returned to the sidelines, returned to the game and led the Eagles to their final touchdown on the same drive.
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Hurts, who’s also been dealing most of the season with a knee injury, hasn’t been listed on the injury report this week for the Eagles, who have another huge game Sunday night against the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys.
After the loss to the 49ers, Philadelphia now has a one-game lead in the battle for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and can’t afford another loss, especially to the Dallas Cowboys, who could drop the Eagles as far down as the No. 5 seed, according to the NFL’s tiebreaking procedures.
Is Marcus Mariota a better option than Jalen Hurts?
Any suggestion that Mariota is a better option than Hurts needs to be heavily scrutinized. Hurts, who’s accounted or a league-high 31 touchdowns with his arm and his legs combined, is still among the leading choices for the NFL MVP award, although his candidacy took a hit after Sunday’s defeat.
Jalen Hurts built his MVP credentials on his ability to rally the Eagles to come-from-behind victories, something he’s done five times this season, including four weeks in a row. Without Hurts on the field, Philadelphia would be nowhere near the top of the NFC standings.
Mariota, a former No. 2 overall draft pick, saw significant action last season with the Atlanta Falcons. He started 13 games, throwing 15 TD passes and eight interceptions while leading the Falcons to a 5-8 record before being benched in favor of then-rookie Desmond Ridder.
While he is an experienced dual-threat quarterback, he pales in comparison to Hurts. That’s why he’s the backup and not the starter. And any snaps with Mariota behind center gives other teams a much greater opportunity to beat the Eagles than they would have with Hurts on the field.
Unless Hurts is truly hurt and is listed as anything worse than “questionable” on the Eagles’ injury report this week, there is no reason to keep him off the field, especially if it will keep them in the driver’s seat for homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
If the Eagles advance to a second straight Super Bowl in February, it’ll be because Mariota, not Hurts, is standing on the sidelines wearing a baseball cap.