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Sports

Eagles Rule Out Jalen Hurts for Sunday’s Panthers Game With Superficial Blood Clot

Philadelphia will start backup Tanner McKee after a follow-up ultrasound showed movement in the small blood clot in Hurts' calf. The quarterback was cleared to play in London last weekend but now sits while doctors determine treatment.

By admin Oct. 15, 2026 · 1:47 PM ET 2 min read

An empty American football stadium at night under bright floodlights, with yard lines and a goalpost on the field.

The Philadelphia Eagles will be without quarterback Jalen Hurts on Sunday after a follow-up ultrasound showed movement in the small blood clot in his calf, the team announced Thursday. Fourth-year backup Tanner McKee is expected to start against the Carolina Panthers.

A football resting on green turf next to a player's cleated foot, with stadium lights blurred behind.

The Eagles described the injury as a superficial blood clot that developed after Hurts was cleated during the team’s Oct. 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Hurts asked for treatment for the calf after practice on Oct. 8 (his first treatment session for the injury since the game, following full practices that week), and received more treatment Friday before being added to the practice report.

Out of what the team called “an abundance of caution,” medical staff performed an ultrasound Saturday after the team’s flight to London and its walkthrough. The scan found the clot. The Eagles said their medical staff and doctors in London reviewed the results, concluded that activity and mobility were important, and decided Hurts could play safely. They recommended another ultrasound within 72 hours of the game.

An empty sports medicine treatment room with padded tables and therapy equipment.

Hurts played without limitation in Sunday’s game, a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, then received treatment Monday and Tuesday and practiced in full Wednesday. The team said it stayed in communication with the league office the entire time.

Then came Wednesday night’s follow-up scan, which found movement in the small clot. The Eagles shut him down while doctors determine treatment. “His health and safety are our highest priority,” the team said.

McKee takes over

An empty press conference room with a podium, microphones and a plain dark football helmet on a side table.

McKee, a former Stanford quarterback, has appeared in six regular-season games and started two of them, both Week 18 games, going 1-1 with a career passer rating of 95.7. The Eagles released veteran backup Andy Dalton on Oct. 9; Dalton had thrown an interception in relief of Hurts during the Sept. 28 loss at Chicago. Rookie Cole Payton, a fifth-round pick, is on the active roster but has not taken an offensive snap.

Hurts’ absence adds to a rough stretch for Philadelphia, which has lost three in a row: at Chicago, to the Rams and in London to the Jaguars. The team faces the Panthers at home Sunday with its starting quarterback sidelined and no timetable for his return.

An empty football stadium field at dusk, with yard lines stretching toward a goalpost.

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today.

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