Jalen Hurts’ night took a sharp turn in the red zone on Monday night, and the Eagles paid for every second of it.
Philadelphia had turned a defensive stop into a chance to flip the game against the Bears, with a shot at what could have been a 14-point swing after Chicago nearly surged to a 14-0 lead on “Monday Night Football.” But just as the Eagles were pushing deep into scoring territory, Hurts was pulled for a concussion evaluation, and the offense lost its rhythm at the worst possible moment.
Hurts appeared to come off the field at the request of the NFL’s independent concussion spotter after taking a hard shot to the chin from Chicago’s D’Marco Jackson.
#Eagles QB Jalen Hurts got leveled by D'Marco Jackson on a late hit and is now being evaluated for a concussion.
Andy Dalton is in.
- Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 29, 2026
With Andy Dalton stepping in, Saquon Barkley still moved Philadelphia all the way to the Bears’ 1-yard line. But the Eagles couldn’t use their go-to “tush push” with Hurts out, and that changed everything.
Barkley was stopped short twice, then Dalton’s third-down throw was picked off in the end zone by rookie safety Dillon Thieneman. What had been a prime scoring chance vanished, and Chicago answered with three points on the other end.
By the time Hurts was cleared, the drive was already over. ESPN cameras caught him showing visible frustration toward the tent.
Jalen Hurts seemingly very upset he wasn’t allowed back in the game in time: pic.twitter.com/tIWN09f9t2
- Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorr-Parks) September 29, 2026
The league’s concussion protocol was built for exactly this kind of situation. Since the end of the 2011 season, the NFL has stationed athletic trainer spotters at every game.
Their job is to watch the field and the broadcast feed for signs a player may have suffered a head or neck injury, with a particular focus on concussions. Those spotters can alert team medical staffs to pull a player for evaluation, which is what happened with Hurts on Monday night.
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