With the NFL regular season winding to its end, the Philadelphia Eagles are down to their third-string quarterback.
Starter Jalen Hurts remained in concussion protocol and did not start in Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. Then, in the third quarter, backup Kenny Pickett left the game after taking a shot to the ribs.
The injury took place on a pass play in the red zone. Pickett threw the ball in the end zone and took a shot from Micah Parsons that left him doubled over in pain.
Pickett’s touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith was overturned by a holding penalty, and third-string quarterback Tanner McKee took over for a third-down handoff before the Eagles kicked a field goal.
The Eagles listed Pickett as questionable to return with a rib injury. Philadelphia, which had already clinched a playoff berth, held a 24-7 lead over the Cowboys at the time of Pickett’s injury.
McKee remained in the game for the next series as Pickett went to the locker room for evaluation of his injury. A sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft, McKee had never thrown and NFL pass prior to Sunday.
On his first full possession leading the Eagles offense, he threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 34-7.
Brown then promptly threw the touchdown ball into the stands for a fan souvenir, apparently unaware that it was the first touchdown pass of McKee’s career. Brown realized his error and offered to trade his jersey to the fan that caught the ball in exchange for McKee’s milestone ball.
It’s not clear exactly how it played out, but the Eagles appeared to work things out with the fan to make sure that McKee got his ball. The fan handed the ball back down to Eagles security staffer “Big Dom” DiSandro.
Pickett eventually returned to the sideline without his pads and helmet, his day apparently done as Philadelphia held a 27-point lead. His precise status wasn’t immediately clear. Hurts has one week to clear concussion protocol before Philadelphia’s season finale next Sunday and at least two weeks before the Eagles play in the playoffs.