Early Jalen Hurts injury update raises massive concern for Eagles Super Bowl hopes

The Philadelphia Eagles toppled the Los Angeles Rams in the snow on Sunday, 28-22. It was a predictably dominant performance from Saquon Barkley, who compiled 232 yards from scrimmage and a couple touchdowns.

That has been the recipe for success in Philadelphia all season. Barkley is slicing and dicing behind the NFL's best offensive line, which removes a considerable amount of pressure from Jalen Hurts' shoulders.

Next up is the NFC Championship Game, which is a rematch with the Washington Commanders. As fate would have it, the Commanders are the only team with a recorded victory over Philly since Week 4 of the regular season. That win came with Kenny Pickett taking the majority of the snaps, though, and Philadelphia lost for self-inflicted reasons.

That said, Jalen Hurts' status is back in doubt for the NFC title match. It's terrible timing for the Eagles. The Pro Bowl QB tweaked his knee in the victory over LA, and while he finished the game, there is uncertainty around just how healthy he will be for Sunday's do-or-die performance.

Concern over Jalen Hurts' knee peaks ahead of NFC Championship Game vs. Commanders

There is confidence that Hurts avoided a significant ligament injury, but he could still deal with limited mobility come Sunday. How his knee responds to a week of treatment is, well, undetermined. We won't know the final status until Sunday. While Hurts' physicality and toughness is well-documented, none of that matters if his body simply does not let him move around the pocket.

Let us rely on the wisdom of Nick Saban for a moment. The seven-time national champ is obviously quite familiar with Hurts, who spent time at Alabama. Saban was hearty in his praise of Hurts, but noted the importance of sharp, timely pocket passing. That becomes even more essential if Hurts loses his ability to escape pressure and create with his legs.

The Eagles are content to run Saquon Barkley until the wheels fall off, but part of setting up Barkley's run game is a semi-threatening pass attack. Hurts has not eclipsed 150 passing yards in either of Philadelphia's postseason victories to date. He isn't exactly looking for the explosive play, nor does he need to. That said, the Eagles do need Hurts to move around (and out of) the pocket, extend plays, and competently establish a connection with his elite WR room.

A.J. Brown has three catches in the playoffs so far, which is comical. The Eagles have so much untapped potential in the passing game. We have seen Hurts operate far more aggressively in the past. The Barkley thing is working out just fine, so there hasn't been much pressure to unveil a more aggressive playbook. Sunday's matchup could force Kellen Moore's hand, though. Especially if Hurts is less dynamic with his legs. The only way to offset the loss of Hurts' running ability is to dial up a more robust passing attack.

He can read that self-help book all he wants, but we know Brown would prefer a few more targets on this stage. Barkley will undoubtedly command the lion's share of the offensive workload against Washington, but with Hurts' own legs failing him, don't be shocked if the Eagles' QB is forced into a more traditional, pocket-passing approach in an effort to unseat the upstart Jayden Daniels.