Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had to leave the game for a concussion evaluation after getting hit on the sideline during Monday night’s loss to the Bears, and that proved costly for the Eagles: They were in the red zone at the time, but they came away with no points when backup quarterback Andy Dalton threw an interception.
Hurts said after the game that by the time Dalton threw that interception, he thought he had done everything he needed to do to satisfy the requirements of the league’s concussion rules, but the medical people hadn’t yet given him clearance to return to the field.
“I was still waiting. Just waiting for the thumbs up. I felt fine, we already checked it. I don’t know the extent of the process. Obviously wish they could have expedited things. I felt fine,” Hurts said.
It was an unfortunate sequence for the Eagles, who would have tied the game 7-7 with a touchdown and extra point but instead stayed behind 7-0 and trailed for the rest of the game. But the NFL is always going to prioritize taking the time to conduct the evaluation over hurrying a player back onto the field. Hurts found that out the hard way.