December 30, 2019
Warning to Eagles fans: the list we have below will make you worried heading into the playoffs next Sunday. Very, very worried.
Or who knows, maybe it won't.
The Eagles have overcome a ton of substantial injuries and their mere presence in the postseason is remarkable. Unfortunately, not only did the team lose some key players in Sunday's win over the Giants, they also have some very impactful lingering injuries.
How will all of this impact the Eagles preparation for the Seahawks?
"We have a great opportunity in front of us," head coach Doug Pederson said. "And Seattle is not going to feel sorry for us coming in here, and we can't do the same."
Pederson spoke about a great deal of these and we've included the latest updates we have on the players below:
Brandon Brooks, Shoulder
It looks like for the second straight year, Brooks has been lost for the season in December.
"He had the separated right shoulder during the game on the PAT," Pederson said. "He suffered a little more damage in there, so he's actually going to miss the remainder of the season."
Last year, it was remarked that the Eagles were one healthy guard away from advancing. Will that be the case this year?
"Brandon is a big loss," the coach said. "He's an anchor on the offensive line, he's big and physical. He's a professional, he comes to work every day. To Matt Pryor's credit, he stepped in and did well in the game yesterday and if he's the guy, we expect him to pick up where Brandon left off."
Brooks will have surgery sometime soon.
Miles Sanders, Ankle
A piece of good news. After exiting the game Sunday in the first half (with a chance to bolster his Offensive Rookie of the Year case), it appears Sanders could suit up against the Seahawks Sunday.
"The ankle, he's going to be day-to-day, [but] should be OK," the coach said. "We got good news on him."
Avonte Maddox
"Same with Avonte," Pederson continued. "Both of those guys are tough guys, they should be OK."
Lane Johnson, Ankle
It would be really tough for the offensive line to excel Sunday without both Brooks and Johnson, but there seems to be a reasonable chance that Johnson will be able to play this weekend (though it still seems like an unknown):
"There's some flexibility there," Pederson said. "Lane will work himself back into practice this week. We have some options."
Daeshon Hall, Knee
Hall, who was a preseason monster, worked his way onto the active roster this year — but he won't play in the postseason.
"Last play of the game, ACL," Pederson said. "He's done for the year. It's unfortunate."
Zach Ertz, Ribs/Back
In yet another bizarre injury for the Eagles, Ertz — who tried to play through not only a rib injury but a reported lacerated kidney — missed Week 17. Is there a chance he plays Sunday, despite a report that he could be done for the postseason?
"We're going to monitor him each day this week," the head coach said. "We can incorporate him back into practice and make a decision from there."
Pederson was asked in the press conference about the reported kidney injury, and did not confirm the report:
"I don't believe a lot of those reports, obviously, but I know Zach is a tough guy and we will be smart," Pederson said. "We will do our due diligence before we put him back on the field, but we are excited we can at least incorporate him back into the mix this week."
Jordan Howard, Shoulder
Howard got one snap as a decoy Sunday despite him being "cleared for contact." Pederson expects him to be a bigger part of the gameplan next week.
"I would expect that his workload will increase a little this week as he gets more into game shape. ... He's going to have to practice coming down the stretch here."
DeSean Jackson, Abdomen
There are a few more injuries we could touch on, but we'll leave it here, with Jackson who is currently in the Eagles injured reserve. According to NFL rules, the timing of his IR placement means he can be activated for the divisional round, should the Eagles advance.
If you believe his social media, you'll see he is targeting a playoff return. Is Pederson on board with that?
"He's getting close, we're still going to monitor him," Pederson said. "He's been running, trending in the right direction. We'll see at the end of the week where he is before we make that decision (to activate him)."
Nicks and bruises...
"Everyone else who got nicked up, Brandon Graham, Craig James, they'll be all right," Pederson said.
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