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It’s clear that the Philadelphia Eagles could have handled the Jalen Hurts medical situation better this past week, especially from a public-relations standpoint, as there were obviously numerous red flags raised after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolisms surrounding the team’s trip to London.
Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season after the Eagles let him play against the Jaguars three days after suffering a calf injury from a cleat during practice, and diagnosed by a specialist in London when the blood clot in his left leg traveled to his lungs.
It’s about as scary of a medical situation as one can image for an athlete, especially when factoring in the air travel as nearly everyone knows that flying with an active or recent blood clot can be extremely dangerous requiring strict medical attention and clearance.
But blood clots are a bit like knee injuries, they can be tricky. Numerous factors can come into play, and it’s not always a case of A+B equals C. Should he have been allowed to play? It’s easy for a someone without a medical degree to try to answer that, while the experts seem to be saying it depends on the circumstances.
Granted, the NFL’s history with concussions, a completely different issue but also frightening, isn’t good, so people don't want to give it the benefit of doubt. But here are three observations that can be made from afar.
Sometimes it doesn’t come to light due to privacy issues or is simply overlooked. Of course, 99 percent of the time the player involved isn’t a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
“I think there was incredible vigilance, there was conservative care, state-of-the-art imaging that was done in London,” the NFL's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, told reporters at the league's annual fall meeting. “And, as far as the timing and the decision-making, I have great confidence in that and believe that everyone acted with an abundance of caution.”
If something wasn’t right or handled correctly, one has to think that Hurts and his agent Nicole Lynn would be anything but silent. Is the situation concerning and alarming? Absolutely. The players’ union has called for a full investigation, as it should have, and the league needs to be as transparent as possible. It can't mess this one up, especially when it's playing more and more games internationally.
"The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts. In fact, the league previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received. Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred. Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward."
As someone who covered Hurts in college, I can tell you that he’s someone who has a firm grasp on the big picture, and always has. Yes, as the son of a coach, and I’m sure he sat there in London and said “I want to play.” But Hurts has endured extreme setbacks before and knows how to handle them.
One of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen in covering sports was the way that Hurts dealt with the situation when Tua Tagovailoa was handed the starting job. He simply kept working. Reporters went weeks without really seeing him (except garbage time in games) or having access, but when we finally did get a look at him up close the zip on his throws was stronger. His reads were better. Instead of feeling sorry for himself or sulking Hurts had used the opportunity to become a better quarterback.
We all remember what happened when Tagovailoa got hurt, Hurts more than stepped up.
If anyone can come back stronger from all this, it’s him.
Bryce Young didn’t have his best game statistically, but he also didn’t have any major gaffes either while leading the Panthers past the Eagles, 25-14. He was 20 of 39 for 281 yards and two touchdowns to tight end Tommy Tremble. At 3-2, Carolina is in the driver’s seat in the NFC South, where no one else is better than 2-4.
Yes, we’ve added total points to both listings. It’s arguably Alabama’s best category this season.
SEASON
Category, Name, Team, Statistic (Second)
Passing yards: Bryce Young 1,549 (Jalen Hurts 933)
Passer rating: Bryce Young 98.5 (Jalen Hurts 87.4)
Passing TDs: Bryce Young 11 (Jalen Hurts 8)
Rushing yards: Derrick Henry 534 (Jahmyr Gibbs 504)
Rushing TDS: Derrick Henry and (Jahmyr Gibbs, 7
Receptions: Jahmyr Gibbs 27 (DeVonta Smith 26)
Receiving yards: Jameson Williams 310 (Jameson Williams 276)
Touchdowns scored: Jahmyr Gibbs 9* (Derrick Henry 8)
Total Points: Jahmyr Gibbs 54 (Will Reichard 53)
Passed defended: Marlon Humphrey 5 (Kool-Aid McKinstry, Jordan Battle, 4)
Interceptions: Jordan Battle, Xavier McKinney, 3*
Forced fumbles: Dallas Turner 2 (numerous players tied at 1)
Tackles: Jihaad Campbell 47 (Mack Wilson 44)
Tackles for a loss: Will Anderson Jr. 12* (Dallas Turner, Quinnen Williams 6)
Sacks: Will Anderson Jr. 7.5* (Dallas Turner 5.5)
CAREER
Category, Name, Statistic (Second)
Passing yards: Jalen Hurts 18,824 (Tua Tagovailoa 18,200)
Passer rating: Tua Tagovailoa 96.2 (Jalen Hurts 93.8)
Passing TDs: Tua Tagovailoa 120 (Jalen Hurts 118)
Rushing yards: Derrick Henry 13,552* (Josh Jacobs 7,803)
Rushing TDs: Derrick Henry 129* (Josh Jacobs 74)
Receptions: DeVonta Smith 411 (Calvin Ridely 410)
Receiving yards: Calvin Ridley 5,759 (DeVonta Smith 5,254)
Touchdowns scored: Derrick Henry 135* (Josh Jacobs 76)
Total points: Derrick Henry 816 (Josh Jacobs 456)
Passes defended: Marlon Humphrey 109 (Trevon Diggs 63)
Interceptions: Marlon Humphrey 23 (Minkah Fitzpatrick 22)
Forced fumbles: Marlon Humphrey 18 (Quinnen Williams 9)
Tackles (combined): Minkah Fitzpatrick 716 (Marlon Humphrey 530)
Tackles for a loss: Jonathan Allen 71 (Quinnen Williams 68)
Sacks: Jonathan Allen 48.5 (Quinnen Williams 43.5)
For the full set of statistics on how the former Crimson Tide players did this week, check out our elaborate Bama in the NFL Week 7 Tracker. It will be updated throughout the weekend until every game is concluded:
Green Bay (4-2) at Detroit (3-2) is a huge NFC North game as neither can afford to fall further behind 5-0 Minnesota, which hosts Indianapolis. The two teams are also slated to meet in Green Bay in Week 18 when playoff spots will be on the line. Green Bay has won three straight and it’s obvious how it’ll attack Detroit wide receivers Christian Watson (538 receiving yards) and Matthew Golden (501) are the first set of teammates each with at least 500 receiving yards in their team’s first six games of a season since 2022 (Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle). Ther rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in receiving yards this season.
We think Josh Jacobs is going to play, but don’t know for sure as the Packers are being kind of tight-lipped about how they plan to use him after missing the first six games following an off-the-field incident. If interested, check out Green Bay Packers On SI for everything he said to the media this week. Otherwise, this could be a high matchup of Crimson Tide running backs. Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs leads the NFL with nine scrimmage touchdowns (seven rushing, two receiving) and ranks third with 747 scrimmage yards (504 rushing, 243 receiving) this season. Interestingly, the key to the game could be another player returning this week, safety Brian Branch (Achilles) for the Lions.
Julio Jones holds the record for the most receiving yards in a player’s first 100 career games in NFL history, with 9,618. Who previously held the record, and which active player is the closest?
See below for answer
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Thursday, Oct. 22
Patriots at Bears, 8:15 p.m. ET (Amazon)
Sunday, Oct. 25
Steelers vs. Saints in Paris, 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network)
Browns at Titans, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
Dolphins at Jets, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
Colts at Vikings, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
Bengals at Ravens, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
Giants at Texans, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Buccaneers at Panthers, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
49ers at Falcons, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Broncos at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
Rams at Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)
Packers at Lions, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)
Chiefs at Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 26
Cowboys at Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
BYE: Buffalo, Jacksonville, LA Chargers, Washington
Jones took the record for most receiving yards in his first 100 NFL games away from Lance Alworth, who had 9,019 yards to start his career with the San Diego Chargers. Among active players, former LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson leads the NFL with 8,738 receiving yards in 98 games with the Vikings.
• The database includes the complete breakdown of every former Crimson Tide player in the NFL’s contract information and status, including teams, positions, jersey numbers and draft information.
• Can’t remember what team a player is on this season? Our listing of active Alabama players in the NFL is by team, status designation and position.
• Check out the unque All-Time Crimson Tide Players in the NFL and each Alabama draft selection by year, team and position, along with AFL, expansion and supplemental picks. Plus every Crimson Tide player who has participated in a Super Bowl, those who were on a Super Bowl roster, and Alabama’s impressive collection of Super Bowl MVPs.
• A thorough look at where Alabama was considered Position U during the Nick Saban era, both on offense and defense, and how his former Crimson Tide players are closing in on $4 billion made in the NFL.
• The Crimson Tide's influence on the NFL has been immense. A full listing of Alabama's All-Pros and impact on every franchise. Also, check out Alabama's history on the annual NFL Top 100 list as voted by the players.