Out of NFL concussion protocol, Jalen Hurts is ready to roll for the Eagles.

With Hurts cleared, the NFC East champion Eagles (14-3) are close to full strength in the starting lineup for their NFC wild-card game Sunday against Green Bay.

“You always feel better when Jalen Hurts is on the field,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Friday.

The Eagles quarterback hasn’t played since he suffered a concussion and left a Dec. 22 game early against Washington.

Hurts missed the final two games — where backups Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee led the Eagles to victories — but led the Eagles on a 10-game winning streak before he was injured in a loss to the Commanders.

The 26-year-old Hurts returned to practice this week, a sure sign he was healthy enough to make the postseason start.

The Eagles were a 4 1/2-point favorite on Monday to beat the Packers and had 7-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. On Friday, the Eagles moved to 5 1/2-point favorites.

Hurts said he had never suffered a concussion but added, “I feel great now.”

The Eagles are a legitimate Super Bowl contender with Hurts in the lineup and should have the upper-hand against Green Bay when it comes to healthy quarterbacks.

Packers QB Jordan Love said this week his elbow — injured in the regular-season finale — was still sore, and he felt pain when he did some limited throwing in practice.

Fires start to affect Rams’ players, staff

The Los Angeles Rams wrapped up practice at their training complex Friday under blue skies with bruise-colored clouds of wildfire smoke lurking on the horizon.

The players and coaches then joined a traveling party of 355 people, six dogs and two cats and headed to the airport, where the Arizona Cardinals had sent two team planes to aid their journey to Phoenix.

The Rams (10-7) have been preparing for their biggest game of the season amid the catastrophic wildfires besieging the Los Angeles area. The players and coaches tasked with separating football from real life are finding it difficult, but they are determined to meet the challenges on all fronts when they “host” the Minnesota Vikings at the Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium on Monday night.

Only a few Rams employees had been affected by the fires until Thursday afternoon, when the Kenneth Fire broke out a few miles from the team’s training complex in suburban Woodland Hills, sending smoke high into the sky with alarming speed.

Many players, coaches and staff members live in the general area, and many of their families were either given an evacuation order or left out of caution — a group that included coach Sean McVay’s wife, Veronika, and their 1-year-old son, Jordan, who met McVay at the training complex.

“Fortunately, they got those things under control, but as soon as I got off the practice field and because of where they were, I saw them right away,” McVay said. “That was all I needed. It felt a lot more real. ... I don’t want to say that, because you don’t want to minimize the importance and how many people were affected, but when you can start to see it physically as the smoke rose up yesterday, there’s a lot of guys that live in proximity, and that hits home in a different way.”

Jackson repeats as All-Pro, Chase unanimous

Lamar Jackson beat out Josh Allen, and Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are unanimous choices for The Associated Press 2024 NFL All-Pro Team.

Saquon Barkley received 48 of 50 first-place votes and Patrick Surtain II got 49 from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league.

Jackson received 30 first-place votes to Allen’s 18, making the team for the second straight year and third overall. Peyton Manning (7) and Aaron Rodgers (4) are the only quarterbacks with more All-Pro nominations in the Super Bowl era than Jackson.

Linebacker Roquan Smith, slot cornerback Marlon Humphrey and fullback Patrick Ricard joined Jackson from the Ravens (12-5).

The NFC-leading Lions (15-2) had four players selected: wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, right tackle Penei Sewell, safety Kerby Joseph and punter Jack Fox.

“They know what’s up,” said Joseph, who led the NFL with nine interceptions but was snubbed from the Pro Bowl.

Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett and 49ers linebacker Fred Warner were each chosen for the fourth time.

Fourteen players are first-timers, including Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers. He got 27 first-place votes to San Francisco’s George Kittle’s 22.

Briefly

Browns >> Quarterback Deshaun Watson may miss the entire 2025 season after Cleveland’s polarizing quarterback ruptured his Achilles tendon for the second time in three months and underwent another operation that could put his career in jeopardy.

Chargers >> Los Angeles will not elevate Ezekiel Elliott from the practice squad when it faces the Houston Texans in today’s AFC wild-card round game.

Dolphins >> Miami has fired special teams coordinator Danny Crossman and wide receivers coach/pass game specialist Wes Welker, the team announced Friday.

Rams >> Los Angeles receiver Demarcus Robinson has been charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol stemming from his arrest in November.

NFL >> Cleveland, Jacksonville and the New York Jets each will play a home game in London in 2025. The NFL announced the host teams Friday. Their opponents will be revealed, along with dates and kickoff times, when the full 2025 schedule is released this spring.