The Philadelphia Eagles have a quarterback dilemma and it won't be solved immediately in the aftermath of Carson Wentz being benched for the first time in his career. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson did not confirm Wentz will be the starter for next Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, leaving a door open for Hurts to make his first NFL start in Week 14. Let the speculation begin.
Hurts relieved Wentz in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers, leading the Eagles to a comeback attempt that fell flat in the final minutes. He finished 5 of 12 for 109 yards with a touchdown and an interception (67.7 rating) while Wentz finished 6 for 15 for 79 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions (57.4 rating). The Eagles averaged 9.1 yards per pass attempt when Hurts was in the game and 5.3 yards per attempt when Wentz played.
"You guys got to let me get through this game. We needed a spark in this game to try and get some things going. I got to get through the tape. There's a lot of things I have to consider," Pederson said. "I have to evaluate before anything is decided. An opportunity arose and we just needed an opportunity to get back in the football game today.
"I just felt like where we were as an offense we needed a spark, something to kind of go our way. That's why we put Jalen in the game."
Hurts, being a legitimate threat as a runner, could be a playoff option for fantasy football owners going forward if he is the starting quarterback for the Eagles in Week 14 -- per CBS Sports fantasy expert Chris Towers. He finished with five carries for 29 yards (5.8 yards per carry), using his legs to move the chains and ignite the offense. He was also sacked three times, while Wentz was sacked four times. The Eagles only scored once on Hurts' four possessions but averaged 6.29 yards per play when he was in the game. In contrast, Philadelphia averaged 3.52 yards per play in the five possessions Wentz played.
If the Eagles go to Hurts, that doesn't signify the Carson Wentz era is over in Philadelphia, but the franchise did spend a second-round draft pick on Hurts for a reason. In a lost season for the Eagles, it won't hurt to see what Hurts can provide to the offense for the remainder of this season.
