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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni expressed regret over not playing quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offensive starters during the preseason following a sluggish offensive performance in a narrow 25-20 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.
“I’ll definitely re-evaluate some of the preseason stuff next year,” Sirianni said. “Maybe I should have played [Hurts] a series or two this preseason, and I already wrote that in my notes.
“You know, second thought, if I had to do it over again right now, I would say, yeah, I would have played starters one or two drives in the preseason.”
Hurts ended the game with 22-of-33 completions for 170 yards and a touchdown. He also ran nine times for 37 yards but had a fumble.
The Eagles had four consecutive three-and-out possessions in the first half, a performance they hadn’t seen since their Week 17 loss to the Saints last season with Gardner Minshew as their quarterback.
Philadelphia managed only one touchdown drive, which was the fewest in any Hurts start.
“Winning is the ultimate goal,” Hurts said. “We do have areas we need to improve on and be more effective when the ball is in my hands, and I take full responsibility for that. Luckily, we have the opportunity to play on Thursday [against the Minnesota Vikings].”
Like many teams in the NFL, the Eagles have shifted away from playing their starters in the preseason. Instead, they prefer joint practices with other teams because it offers a more controlled environment. This strategy has paid off in terms of minimizing injuries as all their starters were healthy entering Week 1.
However, teams that opt to rest their quarterbacks during the preseason have historically struggled at the beginning of the regular season, with a combined record of 7-13 over the past two seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“That’s far in the future. I’m not concerned about that,” Hurts responded when informed of Sirianni’s comments. “We won the game. That’s far in the future. We have a game on Thursday and we’re excited to prepare for it.”
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