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Eagles’ Jalen Hurts will start at QB vs. Arizona Cardinals; Rodney McLeod’s season ends with torn ACL

McLeod suffered a torn ACL, cornerback Darius Slay is in concussion protocol, and Avonte Maddox will "miss games," Doug Pederson said, with a knee injury.

Doug Pederson consoles Rodney McLeod, who leaves the field Sunday, limping heavily.
Doug Pederson consoles Rodney McLeod, who leaves the field Sunday, limping heavily.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer
    by Les Bowen
    Published 

Eagles coach Doug Pederson ended the faux suspense created Sunday, when he refused to commit to going forward with Jalen Hurts at quarterback after the rookie led the team to a stunning 24-17 upset of the New Orleans Saints.

Pederson confirmed Monday that Hurts will start at Arizona. He said he seemed to downplay Hurts’ performance Sunday partly out of deference to Carson Wentz, but also because he wanted to stress how well “the remainder of the team” played in beating the previously 10-2 Saints, who hadn’t lost since Week 3.

The bigger news might have been that safety and defensive captain Rodney McLeod, part of a steady stream of defensive starters who had to leave the New Orleans game, suffered a torn left ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. This leaves a giant void in the secondary and in the defensive leadership. The other key figure on the back end, corner Darius Slay, suffered a concussion on the same play on which McLeod was injured, and Slay has entered the league protocol, Pederson said.

Pederson said he hopes corner Michael Jacquet and safety Grayland Arnold, who missed the Saints game with injuries, will at least be able to practice Wednesday. The Eagles lost starting corner Avonte Maddox to a knee injury early in Sunday’s game -- Pederson indicated Monday that he will miss games -- and they ended up with safety/corner Jalen Mills on one corner and practice squad callup Kevon Seymour, in his first Eagles appearance, at the other corner, with Marcus Epps and rookie K’Von Wallace as the safeties.