With Jalen Hurts recovering from blood clots, Eagles must try and find path to playoffs without him

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts has been around the Eagles’ facility and could still be a resource for new No. 1 quarterback Tanner McKee or any other teammate who wants to talk to him.

He’s just not taking any more snaps this season — and the Eagles face a perilous road to the playoffs without him.

Philadelphia can at least move on to Monday night’s game against Dallas without Hurts’ playing status serving as a lingering question mark.

Hurts is on injured reserve and expected to miss the rest of the season after a blood clot in his left calf traveled to his lungs. The Eagles and agent Nicole Lynn said Monday that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli.

His treatment involves blood thinners, and Hurts will not be allowed to participate in any football activities until he is off them.

Hurts was six games into his fifth season as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback. He was Super Bowl MVP when the Eagles won it all two years ago. Hurts was injured when he took a cleat to his calf area on Oct. 4 in a game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week the NFL welcomed an investigation into the Eagles’ handling of Hurts’ blood clots after the players’ union asked for one.

So where does that leave the Eagles?

Philadelphia (2-4) has lost four consecutive games for the first time since 2020. They play in one of the worst divisions in the NFL and have three straight NFC East games ahead that could determine their fate. The Giants are just 3-2-1 and are in first place, easily catchable with enough time left in the season to earn the automatic playoff spot that comes with winning a division — no matter how bad a record.

The path starts now.

Everything is on the table

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said after Sunday’s loss to Carolina that “everything’s on the table” when it comes to trying to fix the offense.

Well, everything but finding a new offensive coordinator.

Sirianni said Monday that beleaguered offensive coordinator Sean Mannion was still the play-caller. He otherwise offered few specifics on what could change against Dallas.

“Without getting too much into scheme, I’m saying to you, obviously it hasn’t looked the way we wanted it to look and we’re not scoring enough points,” Sirianni said. “So, everything is on the table. Again, I’ll do everything we can do. Our coaches will do everything we can do to help us win football games.”

Mannion was hired away from Green Bay in January and is the Eagles’ fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons.

The Eagles have scored only 58 points during their four-game losing streak and have not hit 300 yards of total offense since Week 2.

“We haven’t yielded the results that we want or expect as an offense thus far, but our mindset in terms of looking for every advantage that we can bring to ourselves, in terms of what we’re studying from our opponent, from what’s happening around the league, and trying to bring as many good ideas, fresh ideas to the table, put our guys in the best position possible,” Mannion said this week.

How does McKee fit into the system?

McKee has had a bit of an odd season starting from training camp when the Eagles brought in veteran Andy Dalton to challenge for the backup job.

McKee was seemingly slow to adjust to Mannion’s new system and lost his grip on the backup job to Dalton. Dalton threw one pass — an interception — in a loss at Chicago and was eventually cut.

McKee also only had two days of first-team reps headed into the Carolina and has now had a full week to prepare headed into Monday night. McKee finished 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers in the first meaningful start of his four-year career.

McKee didn’t turn the ball over in a game where the Eagles had only one running back attempt carries.

Mannion said McKee was a good fit for the offense.

“I think he’s really sharp mentally; he’s accurate, he gets the ball out of his hands quickly,” Mannion said. “I think he does all the things that you ask of a quarterback in terms of his pre-snap operation, and being able to use his cadence (and) being able to handle things at the line of scrimmage if you need adjustments. I think he’s strong in a lot of those areas, and I think it opens up some things for us offensively.”

What about Hurts?

Mannion said Hurts has “been around” but everyone’s priority is his recovery from the clots and his long-term health.

“Certainly, want him to continue to be around and be a positive impact for us while he’s getting himself healthy,” Mannion said. “That’s the ultimate priority. He was around last week, and I know he’s tackling the health stuff he’s got going on, but he’ll still be a big positive impact anytime he’s around the team.”

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