Jalen Hurts' Availability No Longer Feels Pressing After Damar Hamlin Incident

The chilling scene on Monday night has changed perspectives as the NFL heads into the final week of the regular season, and a reminder of the scene that played out in 1971

It no longer feels important if Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will play on Sunday against the Giants. Or if safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will be available after missing five games with a lacerated kidney.

The No. 1 seed?

Who cares right now?

It’s hard to care about any of it as we hold our collective breath waiting for good news on Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest after taking a hard hit to the chest while making a tackle in Monday night’s Bills-Bengals game.

The chilling scene that played out in front of a national television audience has changed the perspective of everything as the NFL season heads into its final regular-season weekend.

It’s never easy to watch a player get carted off the field, or, in this case, taken out in an ambulance.

We saw the cart come out at Lincoln Financial Field when Josh Sweat lay motionless on his stomach for several minutes. The Eagles defensive end was placed carefully onto a backboard as everyone in the stadium waited, hopefully, for the thumbs-up as he was slowly wheeled off.

Sweat did the thumbs-up, but he was taken to a local hospital, treated, and released for what was termed a neck injury.

In an ambulance, there are no thumbs up to be seen, so all that can be done, if you believe in such things, is offer up prayers.

Bills players gather to pray and share their feelings shortly after teammate Damar Hamlin was taken away in an ambulance during Monday night's game in Cincinnati.

USA Today

I was reminded today of a scene that played out in 1971 when Philadelphia-born receiver Chuck Hughes collapsed while jogging back to the huddle as a member of the Detroit Lions, who were hosting the Chicago Bears that day.

Bears linebacker Dick Butkus saw Hughes begin to convulse violently on the field and motioned to the sideline to get assistance for him.

Both team’s doctors and trainers rushed onto the field and an ambulance eventually arrived to take Hughes to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, at the age of 28, at 5:34 p.m. that afternoon.

Incredibly, the game continued, and players weren’t informed of Hughes’ passing until afterward.

Hughes, who had a family history of heart disease, suffered undiagnosed arteriosclerosis and one of his coronary arteries was 75% blocked, which cut off proper blood flow to his heart.

There are reports about what may have led to Hamlin collapsing on the field, but nothing yet has been substantiated by any medical professional who had a hand in treating him on the field and later at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

All that’s known is the tragedy has changed everyone's perspective and has the NFL world temporarily on hold, and rightfully so.

The Eagles pushed back the availability of their coordinator availability from Tuesday to Thursday out of respect for and the uncertainty of the situation.

Every NFL team changed the profile pic on its Twitter accounts to one of Hamlin’s No. 3 Bills jersey with the words, “Pray for Damar.”

The Pro Football Hall of Fame and NFL Network postponed Tuesday night’s announcement of the 15 Modern-Era Player Finalists for the Hall’s Class of 2023. It has tentatively been rescheduled for Wednesday.

The NFL released a statement that there are no plans as of now as to when or even if the game between the two teams will be rescheduled, though the same announcement said that there had been no change to the Week 18 schedule.

Eventually, things will start up again.

The hope – make that the prayer – will be that Hamlin will have made a full recovery when they do.

As to how normal things will feel on the football field again, that may take a while.

Former NFL player, Ryan Clark, who distinguished himself mightily with his comments on ESPN while the Hamlin situation unfolded, wrote on Twitter: “The next snap of a football will be one of the scariest snaps we have ever watched."

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.