Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts returned in Week 18 following a sternoclavicular or SC joint sprain he suffered three weeks earlier. Since then, he has been playing through the injury, and continuing to play at a high level, in leading his team to an appearance in Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).
Following Hurts' return, it was reported that he was still working through pain and soreness in his shoulder. This came as no surprise given the injury and the importance of the SC joint. Had the Eagles been able to secure a win in Week 16 or 17 with Gardner Minshew at the helm, it’s safe to say we wouldn’t have seen Hurts until after their first-round playoff bye.
However, since Hurts' return, he's had a significant decrease in yards before and after contact while running the football. This tells us that he is likely still avoiding the contact he previously would absorb when healthy.
But, what is an SC joint sprain? Let's explore.
Well, the SC joint is where the collarbone attaches to the sternum, or chest wall. The ligaments here are very strong and keep the collarbone firmly attached. With a sprain, these ligaments are partially compromised, and the collarbone can become unstable. However, these ligaments can heal in about 4-6 weeks. Therefore, I think as long as Hurts' is now reasonably stable — I expect him to be in near-top form for the big game.
With the extra week the Eagles had off between the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl, Hurts should have had plenty of time for his sprain to heal. Whether he will continue to be shy in the rushing game is yet to be seen, but overall I don’t expect him to be held back by his previous injury.
Renowned orthopedist Dr. Matt Provencher and his company, ThePredictors.com, deliver data-driven injury insights to football fans. In this first-of-a-kind role as Athlete Injury and Performance Analyst for FOX Sports’ digital platforms, Provencher provides important predictive player health and recovery information about post-injury performance, the impact of weather, field conditions and more.
