Nick Sirianni details what Jalen Hurts needs to return for Eagles against Giants

The Philadelphia Eagles lost their second straight game and fell to 13-3 with a 20-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints and all eyes shifted to Jalen Hurts’ eventual return. The Eagles’ MVP candidate quarterback missed that last two games against the Dallas Cowboys and Saints while Gardner Minshew missed out on clinching the top seed for Philadelphia.

Head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about Hurts’ return from a shoulder injury but there are indications Hurts would play this Sunday against the New York Giants. The Eagles, although leading the Cowboys by one game in the NFC East and the San Francisco 49ers by a game for the No. 1 seed, nothing is locked up.

Sirianni opened up on the process for Hurts to come back and play.

“Everything’s taken into play as far as when he’s ready to come back,” Sirianni said. “We always are going to want him to be healthy enough to not put himself in danger, right? That’s first and foremost, but then also so he can perform at a high level as well. When you’re talking about throwing the football with an injured shoulder, it’s a little different than some other injuries. 

“I guess to say like he’s got to be able to throw the ball, you know, down the field. He’s got to be able to throw it accurately. He’s got to be able to throw with velocity so he can be effective as a quarterback.”

Hurts had to watch from the sidelines as Philadelphia dropped its game against the Saints, leaving the team’s seeding fate up to the final week.

“Yeah, I know Jalen wants to get back,” Sirianni said. “That’s been his message to me ever since this has happened. It’s hard to keep him down because of how tough he is, the kind of competitor he is. He wants to go. These last 24 hours I haven’t talked to him, been kinda dragging myself through the mud and trying to get it right on my end, so Jalen I haven’t had a conversation since yesterday.

“Obviously, he’s disappointed like we all were disappointed walking out of that stadium yesterday. Jalen is an ultimate competitor, tough. And so yeah, he’s just as disappointed as we all are.”

Hurts injured his shoulder against the Chicago Bears in a 25-20 win. Hurts was 22-of-37 passing for 315 yards, two interceptions, 61 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. On the season, Hurts has 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns, five interceptions, a 67.3% completion percentage, 747 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

The Eagles take on the Giants, who are locked into the No. 6 seed, Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. A win for the Eagles clinches the NFC East and the No. 1 seed.