The Philadelphia Eagles ruled out Jalen Hurts on Thursday for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers after a follow-up ultrasound found movement in a small, superficial blood clot in his calf. The news landed in a division where three of the four teams have losing records, and Skip Bayless, a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, responded on X.
According to the team’s statement, Hurts said he had been cleated in the calf during the Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and first asked for treatment on Oct. 8. An ultrasound in London on Oct. 10 revealed the clot, and team doctors concluded he could safely play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 11.
He completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown in a loss decided by Cam Little’s 57-yard field goal on the final play. Hours before the second ultrasound, Hurts had described the calf issue as “a very unique experience, to say the least.”
The team has not said how long he will be out. Tanner McKee, who has made two NFL starts, is expected to start against Carolina.
“Now the Eagles have even lost Jalen Hurts??? The NFC East is begging to be won by the Dallas Cowboys who just lost at home to an 0-4 team having to play an undrafted rookie QB and who now has to face its nemesis Jordan Love at Lambeau,” Bayless wrote.
The Cowboys have allowed 395.4 yards per game, the second-most in the NFL, which is a shaky base for a team expected to cash in on a rival’s injury.
The “nemesis” label traces to January 2024, when Jordan Love and the Packers beat Dallas 48-32 in a wild-card game in Arlington, and the trip Bayless dreads comes next. Green Bay is 3-2 and coming off a five-takeaway game under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, and Dak Prescott already had trouble with the blitz-heavy approach Tampa Bay used against him.
Now the Eagles have even lost Jalen Hurts??? THE NFC East IS BEGGING TO BE WON BY THE DALLAS COWBOYS WHO JUST LOST AT HOME TO AN 0-4 TEAM HAVING TO PLAY AN UNDRAFTED ROOKIE QB AND WHO NOW HAS TO FACE ITS NEMESIS JORDAN LOVE AT LAMBEAU.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 15, 2026
The NFC East team Skip Bayless left out
The New York Giants lead the division at 3-1-1, with Dallas and Philadelphia at 2-3. The Giants’ tie came in Week 5 against Washington, which fell to 1-3-1.
The Commanders had the ball at the Giants’ 24-yard line with 13 seconds left in overtime and no timeouts, and Jayden Daniels went down in bounds before the offense could spike it, settling for the tie. Daniels took the blame on Thursday, and Washington now visits the undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
Philadelphia’s slide also started with Hurts on the field. The Eagles have lost three straight, and his 57.8% completion rate and 84.7 passer rating are both career lows since he became the full-time starter in 2021. McKee inherits an offense that was already searching for answers, against a Carolina team the Eagles need to beat to stop the slide before it reaches four games.
Three teams sit under .500, so Bayless has a point about the opening. Whoever uses the Eagles’ week without Hurts to gain ground will still be chasing the Giants, who sit a game and a half clear of both Dallas and Philadelphia.
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