PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Doug Pederson said he has not yet decided whether Jalen Hurts or Carson Wentz will start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Appearing on 94.1 WIP Monday, Pederson praised Hurts’ performance in his first career start against the New Orleans Saints’ top-ranked defense, which helped fuel a 24-21 Eagles win, but held back from saying the rookie would remain under center.
“I’m going to take a look at [the Saints film]. I’m going to look at a lot of different things before I make that determination this week,” he said.
The expectation is that the rookie will get the nod. Player and team sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that it’s Hurts’ job for rest of season, barring injury or disastrous play.
Hurts went 17-for-30 for 167 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans and ran 18 times for 106 yards, becoming the fifth Eagles quarterback to rush for 100 yards in the Super Bowl era, joining Mike Vick, Donovan McNabb, Randall Cunningham and Jack Concannon. He took no sacks and turned the ball over once.
“Going back and watching it this morning, there were some really, really good plays. He played well,” Pederson said. “He managed the team. He did everything we asked him to do. He played smart, he played physical with the run.”
With the win, the Eagles snapped a four-game losing streak while staying within striking distance of the division-leading Washington Football Team.