Jalen Hurts Named Starting QB over Carson Wentz for Eagles vs. Cardinals

Jalen Hurts will remain the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback for Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Doug Pederson confirmed to reporters Monday.

Pederson made the announcement after he was noncommittal during a radio interview earlier in the day. 

"I'm gonna take a look at yesterday," Pederson said on SportsRadio 94WIP. "I'm gonna look at a lot of different things before I make that determination this week."

Hurts acquitted himself well in his first NFL start, throwing for 167 yards and a touchdown while adding 106 rushing in Sunday's 24-21 upset win over the New Orleans Saints. 

Pederson praised Hurts' ability to keep plays alive, specifically with his running ability. 

"There were some really, really good plays. He played well. He managed the team, he did everything we asked him to do. He played smart, he played physical, with the run. Some of it was designed runs, some of it was just him being him and what he can do. It's going to be a really good film for him to look at and learn from and get better, but I thought he did a really nice job."

The Eagles also did not allow a sack for the first time this season. Carson Wentz had gone down an NFL-high 50 times through the first 13 weeks.

Wentz is in the midst of a career-worst campaign, throwing for 2,620 yards and 16 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. He's setting a career-low in completion percentage (57.4) and yards per attempt (6.0) while ranking as the worst quarterback in the NFL, per Football Outsiders' DYAR metric. Some other metrics are more kind to the 2017 Pro Bowler, but nearly all of them rank him as one of the worst starters in the league.

The Eagles have huge financial incentives to remain invested in Wentz. His contract for 2021 is fully guaranteed and would result in a $59.2 million dead cap charge if released or $33.8 million if traded. 

Regardless of Wentz's contract, there is no way Pederson could pull Hurts from the starting lineup without risking losing the locker room.