Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts still remains in the league's concussion protocol and has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles officially ruled out Hurts following Friday's practice, which the QB sat out for a second consecutive day.
"It's going to be tough for him to make it this week," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters earlier Friday.
Hurts exited Philly's Week 16 loss to the Washington Commanders due to a concussion and did not return. He hasn't participated in practice all week.
With Hurts still in concussion protocol and ruled out, Kenny Pickett is in line to make his first start of the season and first for the Eagles.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback entered Sunday's loss and completed 14 of 24 passes for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The offense sputtered a bit with the backup on Sunday, but Sirianni said he believes getting a full week of reps with the starters will help Pickett in Week 17.
"He's had a nice week of practice, he's done a nice job and we've had some good practices and walkthroughs this week," the coach said. "I think anytime you get to work our plays against the defense that you're going to be playing against with the guys you're going to be going with that helps you. ... It was a good week of practice."
Pickett spent the week dealing with a rib injury but declared himself "ready to go" on Thursday. He practiced in full and doesn't expect to be limited, although he plans to wear extra padding on his ribs.
Pickett said getting reps with starters like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will be helpful after some miscues in his first extended action as an Eagle.
"It's huge for a quarterback," Pickett said Thursday. "Timing is everything, especially in the NFL. Knowing how these guys get in and out of cuts. How they track the ball on deep balls and different things like that. It all plays into quarterback and receiver play. So anything I can get with them extra or during practice is huge."
The Eagles are nearly locked into the No. 2 seed, owning a 4% chance of leaping into the No. 1 slot. Philly would need a win over Dallas and losses by both the Lions and Vikings to have a shot at the top seed in the NFC in Week 18.
Philadelphia clinches the NFC East division title with a win or a Commanders' loss in Week 17.
