QB vs. QB
The level of play at quarterback could make or break this contest for either team.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hasn’t necessarily looked like himself lately. In his last five games, he’s completed just 57 percent of his throws with a 3:5 touchdown to interception ratio. His 31.2 passer rating against the Chargers last Monday is the fourth lowest rating in his career.
Things have been rough for Geno Smith as well, being sacked 28 times in his last five games. While he’s completed nearly 68 percent of his passes this season, he’s still tied for the league lead in interceptions.
There’s a chance Smith doesn’t suit up this Sunday against the Eagles as he works through a shoulder injury suffered in the last game. Pete Carroll said before practice that Smith should be considered “day-to-day” as the team continues to “see how it turns out at the end of the week.” He also said in the event Smith is ruled out, Kenny Pickett will start.
“I love the way he prepares and practices,” Carroll said of Pickett. “He looked very good in the game the other night. We saw he did some really nice things, big plays, and escaped a little bit, got a little bit of running in. All of that looked really good.”
Pickett, a former first-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, played for the Philadelphia Eagles last season – even seeing seven snaps of action in Super Bowl LIX. He was traded twice this offseason, first to the Cleveland Browns and later to the Raiders to help fill a void after Aidan O’Connell was placed on injured reserve in the preseason.
After coming in for Smith in the fourth quarter against the Broncos, Pickett went 8-of-11 for 97 yards and a touchdown pass to Shedrick Jackson.
“I’m confident that I get the ball around the field where I need to and all the concepts that we have, everything that we run,” Pickett said. “Definitely confident in what I can do. Right now, it’s just about trying to steal as many reps as I can with these guys and get the timing down.”