Categories: sports

No injury updates for Jalen Hurts and Quinyon Mitchell

Nick Sirianni has kept injury updates close to the vest all season, so he wasn’t going to change course during his press conference the next day Monday as the Eagles began preparations for the Washington Commanders before the NFC championship game Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. .

That means there has been no update from the head coach on the situation of quarterback Jalen Hurts and rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell – the former suffering from what appeared to be a knee injury late in the third quarter that limited his mobility, and the second starter in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.

Both players said after the game that they expected everything to go well for the Eagles’ next game.

Hurts, when asked Sunday night if his injury would prevent him from facing the team’s division rival, said: “No, I’m just seeing how the week goes, I’m seeing how things progress. ” Mitchell, meanwhile, told The Inquirer he was “fine” and responded, “No, I’m going to be good” when asked if there were any long-term concerns.

Sirianni said Monday that the Eagles were “still going through the process of the day here” regarding the duo’s injuries. He’ll generally let Wednesday’s practice report speak for itself when it comes to his players’ availability.

“I know these guys will do everything they can to be at the top of their game on Sunday,” Sirianni said. “I have confidence in our coaching staff, I have confidence in these guys. We’ll see how it goes as the week goes on.

» LEARN MORE: Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown and Kellen Moore need to be better if the Eagles want to beat the Commanders

Hurts didn’t look like himself after being sacked by Rams safety Jaylen McCollough. He was mostly calm when he handed the ball to Saquon Barkley on the next play and spent the entire ensuing defensive series in the blue medical tent, only to emerge when it was time for the offense to return to the ground. But he was noticeably less mobile as the match progressed and appeared to be wearing a brace on his left knee. He was sacked in the end zone for a safety on the next possession.

Hurts’ mobility is obviously a huge boost to an offense that relies on the threat of his legs. His 44-yard touchdown run, the longest of his NFL career, started the scoring Sunday on the first possession. Hurts missed the final two games of the regular season after suffering a concussion early in the Eagles’ Week 16 road loss to the Washington Commanders.

When asked how the Eagles adapt their game plan to whether Hurts can run or not, Sirianni compared it to any other type of variable.

“Throughout the week, your preparation is trying to take into account everything that you may encounter, whether Jalen can go running or not, whether it snows, whether it rains, whether it’s windy.” , Sirianni said, doing his best to avoid stating the obvious, which is that the game plan will be different if Hurts can or cannot run.

» LEARN MORE: Eagles-Rams takeaway: The Birds are Super Bowl favorites heading into championship Sunday. Should they be?

Passing misfortunes… worrying?

The Eagles managed just 65 net passing yards Sunday, a season low. Hurts was efficient when throwing the ball, completing 15 of 20 attempts for 128 yards. But his seven sacks resulted in 63 yards going in the wrong direction.

The passing game, or lack thereof, has been a relatively constant topic this season. But Sirianni continues to emphasize an any-means-necessary approach that has resulted in 16 wins in 19 games. The Eagles have a dominant offensive line, an explosive running back and the league’s top-ranked defense in yards allowed.

“We are doing everything we can to win the football game,” Sirianni said. “I think you saw yesterday that we managed to win the turnover battle. We knew how to manage the ball in the elements, they had a few turnovers that we were able to create yesterday. You do everything you can to win every game.

The coach said he remains confident the Eagles could win a game through the air if necessary, a theory that could be tested as early as Sunday with Jayden Daniels and the Commanders’ explosive offense coming to town.

» LEARN MORE: Eagles stats: Saquon Barkley and Jalen Carter have monster games despite the elements

‘Receiving school 101’

The first question asked of Sirianni on Monday was about Hurts checking plays at the line of scrimmage, something the quarterback appeared to be doing on Barkley’s two long touchdown passes. The coach’s response was reflected in a scene from Monday’s team meeting.

Yes, it all started at the line of scrimmage, where Hurts and Cam Jurgens set up the protections and did most of the communicating, but a lot of it went into Barkley’s 62- and 78-yard bursts and 44-yard score by Hurts.

On a zone read meter that Hurts kept, Sirianni highlighted to the team on film Monday how receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith did their jobs to perfection. Brown removed Rams safety Kamren Kinchens, who was lined up at nickel, from the game. Smith, meanwhile, executed what Sirianni called a “textbook rod block” on cornerback Darious Williams.

“If you were in Receivers 101 school, you would use that Smitty clip on the shank block for the touchdown,” Sirianni said. “Stem locking is an art and a technique. You have to kind of break down and not get locked in too early with the defensive back, because if you get locked in too early with the defensive back, he’ll lose you. But Smitty kept space and when he felt the ball coming at him, he locked in and played.

“It really takes everyone, and it starts with Jalen to get us in the right game.”

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