The Cowboys have a big game in Green Bay this weekend, but their Week 7 matchup- a Monday night tilt in Philadelphia against the rival Eagles- is also a key date for what is shaping up to be a season-long dogfight in the NFC East.
And now it appears the Eagles could be without the leader of their pack.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has been declared out for this Sunday's game versus Carolina after being diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in his leg. More tests are coming to determine the severity of the condition, but Hurts "cannot play football until this situation is solved," according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, who hinted at an even longer absence.
"I would describe it best as 'out indefinitely,'" Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show.
Hurts believed he had been cleated in the calf during the Eagles' Oct. 4 meeting with the Rams. He received treatment a few days later and then flew to London with the team for their Week 5 International Series game against the Jaguars.
Per the Eagles, "[o]ut of an abundance of caution, an ultrasound was performed on Saturday following the team’s flight to London and walkthrough. The ultrasound revealed a superficial blood clot. Our medical staff and doctors in London reviewed the results and concluded that activity and mobility were important and that Jalen could safely play. Doctors recommended a follow-up ultrasound within 72 hours of the game and the return flight to Philadelphia."
Hurts played without apparent limitation in the Eagles' 19-17 loss, got more treatment Monday and Tuesday, and then practiced in full on Wednesday. The follow-up ultrasound afterward, though, "revealed movement in the small blood clot," forcing the Eagles to shut him down.
A moving blood clot can travel through the bloodstream to another part of the body. A clot that blocks blood flow to the lungs, heart, or brain can become life-threatening with little to no warning.
Whether the 28-year-old should have been cleared to play the Week 5 game in London even after the clot was discovered will likely be a source of serious debate. (Whether he should have been allowed to take two international flights would also seem to be questionable.) For now, though, the Eagles know he will be out this coming Sunday. Most medical experts who have weighed in on the diagnosis believe Hurts could miss multiple weeks, including Week 7's clash with the Cowboys and maybe even the Thanksgiving Day rematch in Dallas on Nov. 26.
Tanner McKee, a sixth-round draft pick in 2023 out of Stanford, is currently the Eagles' backup quarterback. He has made six game appearances and two starts in two seasons, completing 61.4% of his passes for 597 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception. His very first NFL action came in Week 17 of the 2024 campaign versus Dallas, going 3-for-4 passing for 54 yards and two scores in mop-up duty of the Eagles' 41-7 rout.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Eagles' Jalen Hurts 'out indefinitely' with blood clot; could miss Week 7 vs Cowboys