At the start of the season, quarterbacks are certainly more likely to play it safe and avoid a season-ending injury. That’s exactly what seemed to happen during the Philadelphia Eagles‘ Week 2 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, when quarterback Jalen Hurts chose to slide just shy of the first down rather than fight for some extra yards.

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was calling the game alongside Adam Amin, filling in for Mark Sanchez following his arrest last November. Brees, however, didn’t like Hurts’ decision to scramble and come up short of the first down.

“So I was hyping up Jalen Hurts, but now I’m gonna get on him,” said Brees. “Lower your shoulder and go get the first down. You slide they’re going to mark the ball where you started the slide, not where you end the slide. So it’s not a Tush Push situation. It’s not fourth and one. It’s fourth and three.”

Brees was referring to a third-down with less than seven minutes remaining in the second quarter. Still, Hurts and the Eagles secured a 24-20 win over the Titans. Right after that, former Eagles center Jason Kelce took to his social media handle and defended his former quarterback, while praising Hurts.

“Playing quarterback pretty well,” Kelce wrote on X.

While Brees’ criticism was evident, Hurts and the Eagles ended up converting the fourth down and eventually scored a touchdown on the same drive. The quarterback finished the matchup completing 26-of-37 for 264 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. At the same time, he also ran for 16 yards on 5 carries.

However, it’s not difficult to understand why Jalen Hurts chose to scramble rather than convert the third down. Both Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert suffered injuries during Philadelphia’s 24-20 win over Tennessee.

Barkley’s injury occurred on Philadelphia’s very first offensive play. He took a handoff from Hurts and ran up the middle, where Tennessee defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons stopped him for no gain. Barkley was slow getting up and appeared to favor his left arm.

He immediately went to the medical tent and was subsequently diagnosed by the Eagles with a stinger, with his return initially listed as questionable. Luckily, Barkley returned to the game at the beginning of the third quarter with Philadelphia leading 14-10.

Goedert’s situation was more concerning during the game because he did not return. The tight end suffered the injury in the second quarter, shortly after Barkley’s injury. Goedert was blocking on an Eagles rushing play when he took a significant hit to his right leg. Reports indicate a diving Titans defender made low contact with Goedert while he was engaged in the blocking assignment.

Goedert subsequently went to the blue medical tent to be examined. He returned to the sideline and was talking with trainers, but the Eagles officially listed him as: Right knee injury, questionable to return.

The pair of injuries explained why Jalen Hurts wasn’t risking lowering his shoulder and going for the first down, as the quarterback seems to be preventing himself from a major injury in just the second week of the season.