Eagles
Well things are about as bad as they can get for the Philadelphia Eagles. It all started when Jalen Hurts went on the IR for blood clots. It’s now at the point where those blood clots have moved into Jalen Hurts lungs and he is out indefinitely. Sandwiched between those two events was a football game, which went about as well as you’d think. Let’s break down everything in chronological order and see what’s next for the Eagles.
On October 17th, Jalen Hurts was placed on IR. This was due to “Superficial Blood Clots.” Apparently this is something players can continue to play through but the Eagles decided it was best to shut him down. While bad to hear, it didn’t strike me as the wrong move strategically. Clearly his entire season has a curse so why risk it with your franchise quarterback? One thing I wouldn’t do is try and get a hot take off just so more people see my posts. The same can’t be said for other media members. We had the ultimate aged-poorly take from Michael Robinson that Jalen was faking his injury because the Eagles aren’t that good.
“if I’m Jalen Hurts − or anybody in Jalen Hurts’ camp − I’m saying, ‘Well if everybody’s hurt, I’m hurt, too.’ “To me, it looked like Jalen is kind of getting himself out of the fray so that this lost season..he’s pulling himself out so that this doesn’t look like it’s on me.” pic.twitter.com/nqw8J8emov
— Jon Marks (@JonMarksMedia) October 17, 2026
Listen not everything needs a response. Sometimes it’s better to wait for more information before throwing out your wild theories. While this should seem obvious, it should be even more obvious when your theory comes off a health issue for a player.
Anyway, football also took place this week. The game can wholly be summarized off the first play of the game. The Eagles drew up a play action pass to hopefully let Tanner McKee find some rhythm. Instead, he was immediately sacked because of course he did.
The other way to look at the game is just through the cover photo. The Eagles had their butts exposed. Other than that the game went like every other game this season: bad run game, bad offensive line play, too many three-and-outs, and somehow they were still in it at the end of the game. Would I recommend watching this game? No. Am I going to continue to watch going forward? Absolutely, I’m not just going to watch while things are good. Wins feel better when you’ve gone through some turmoil.
On Monday, Jalen Hurts’ IR designation became upgraded to out indefinitely when the report came out that the blood clots moved to his lungs. First, I want to say this is terrible and we’re all rooting for Jalen Hurts to recover. Second, and this may be very shocking that as a sports writer, I am not a doctor. I don’t understand how a blood clot in the calf can make its way to the lungs. All I can say now is that clearly this is a delicate situation. The Eagles went through a formal investigated and followed the proper procedures.
“The league had been in contact throughout the process with the Eagles medical personnel, and the Cleveland Clinic in London where the tests were conducted. The league’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills arranges for medical resources with leading providers in every… pic.twitter.com/kRHrJb9egj
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 20, 2026
Do I think this will end everything? No chance. But like I said earlier, I’m not going to do any speculating or blame assignment. This is the type of story that will linger throughout the season and certainly talked about heavily in the offseason. Should be great to discuss with people whose medical knowledge comes from YouTube or the internet in general.
All of those tragedies have lead to a belief by many that the Eagles should quite quit the rest of the season. For those that don’t know what that means, you still show up to work but you put in no effort to get better nor really try in general. Honestly I don’t hate the idea. You get a better draft position to improve if you do poorly in the NFL, unlike real life. It’s pretty obvious that the Eagles need to rebuild their entire offensive line. The easiest way is to build through the draft. Plus with Howie drafting, it may be a short rebuild.
The other choice is to stare into the eye of the bedlam bride and try and win the NFC East. This is extremely doable somehow. Despite all of the maladies the Eagles have faced, they’re still right in the mix to compete for a three-peat. It helps when the entire NFC East hasn’t won a game in two weeks (extra impressive when you realize two teams played each other). This also gives you the chance to evaluate some of the younger players. Remember Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru? Why not give them a chance to earn some real playing time? It doesn’t have to be a lost season just because they’re losing.
Personally I want to see a hybrid approach. I want them to compete to win but maybe not at the expense of the health of their better players. In other words, I want to see Devonta Smith sit and fast track Makai Lemon’s development as a wide receiver 1 or 2. Same should go for Saquon Barkley. Keep him rested and not getting pummeled behind this excuse for an offensive line. Regardless we should know more about the Eagles’ plan for the rest of the season after their Monday Night Football game against the Cowboys.
Sources: Big Cat on X, John Clark on X, Jon Marks on X, Panthers at Eagles on X
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Hello, I’m a greater Philadelphia native writing mostly about the Eagles and the rest of the NFL. Articles aren’t … More about Kyle Lavin
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