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Eagles QB Jalen Hurts to make second career start vs. Cardinals

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 12/14/20

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was initially silent when asked about who would be the team's starting quarterback against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. A solid debut from Jalen Hurts eventually made it a no-brainer.

Pederson revealed on Monday afternoon that Hurts will make his second career start against the Cardinals. Carson Wentz will serve as the rookie's backup.

No surprise: Doug Pederson says the #Eagles will stick with QB Jalen Hurts as their starter this week against the #Cardinals.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 14, 2020

In his debut, Hurts completed 17-of-30 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 106 yards, which is the second-most rushing yards by a quarterback this season. His performance, coupled with a two-touchdown game from Miles Sanders, helped the Eagles win their first game since Nov. 1, edging the Saints 24-21.

Benching Wentz for the remainder of the season will likely give Philly its best shot at winning the NFC East title, which still is very much possible in the NFL's worst division. The 27-year-old has been horrendous this year, completing just 57.4% of his passes for 2,620 yards and 16 touchdowns against an NFL-leading 15 interceptions in 12 starts.

Without Wentz as his starter, Pederson is 11-2. That statistic alone should have been enough for Pederson to start Hurts weeks ago, but we won't talk about that.

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