Jalen Hurts knew he had more than a standard strain or sprain as he worked toward a vital Week 6 showdown with the Carolina Panthers. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback was carrying the weight of the season on his back after a three-game losing streak that felt different than similar slumps under head coach Nick Sirianni.
But he wasn't ready to unveil his diagnosis just yet when he addressed the media on Wednesday. He was careful to marshal his words in a way that expressed he was OK, but his injury was different in the world of football and liable to shifting duties to backup Tanner McKee for Sunday and possibly beyond. He wasn't dealing with cramping; it was a "unique experience" we typically don't see on the weekly injury report.
#Eagles QB
Jalen Hurts hinted during his Wednesday press conference that he had something going on: “It was a very unique experience, to say the least. I don’t want to get into the details of kind of leading up to the game or whatnot.” https://t.co/uE7rhGUFK4 pic.twitter.com/eVI0mUXH5D
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 15, 2026
That made it slightly less surprising when Hurts was ruled out for Week 6 thanks to a superficial blood clot in his calf. That's not as bad as deep vein thrombosis, which would have put him in danger for Philadelphia's cross-continental trip back to Pennsylvania. While we can't know what exactly went down, it's possible Hurts was in position to play before an ultrasound showed the clot was moving and thus a potential danger on the field.
No problem! The book answer is that it is ok to fly depending on location of the clot - will be important to ask them about that. It sounds like the second ultrasound showed clot movement and that’s what prompted them to shut him down. Would be good to understand what changed between ultrasounds
— Ed (@notdred.bsky.social) 2026-10-15T17:26:45.881Z
The Eagles will be without their starting quarterback and may be without their top wide receiver or top three running backs in a season where two of the franchise's best blockers -- Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson -- are also unavailable due to injury and retirement, respectively. That's more brutal news for Philadelphia, but prioritizing Hurts' health is undoubtedly the right decision.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jalen Hurts dropped cryptic blood clot update before being ruled out for Week 6
