Sunday Night Football played host to one of the most punishing games of Football in recent memory. The Eagles had a total of nine players who either missed time, were completely sidelined or have a lingering concern heading into week 3. Here’s the latest on all players who appeared to pick up an injury on Sunday.
Alshon Jeffery
Alshon Jeffery didn’t play a single snap on Sunday night, leaving Carson Wentz without his #1 receiver who was previously guaranteed a salary next season. Jeffery played a key role in week one and looked set to build on his 2-touchdown performance against the Falcons.
In his absence, JJ Arcega-Whiteside took snaps, but he caught just one of four passes thrown his way.
Ian Rapoport added some clarity to the injury today:
The games in question are against the Lions and Packers. The good news is that the injury is not a season-ending one, or a setback that will sideline him for a considerable amount of time. However, the Eagles offense limped without him and they’ll need to see much more from their second-round selection over the next two games if the Birds’ are to pick up momentum.
Carson Wentz
It was a tale of two halves for Carson Wentz on Sunday. After being rocked on a few different occasions, the face of the franchise looked to hit a mental block, with his mechanics echoing those of 2018 after a clutch to his knee. But when he was evaluated on the sideline, it was for a head injury, not a rib injury like many expected.
Wentz balled out in the second half, pulling out all the Houdini stops to pull the Eagles back from the brink and into winning position. It’s a relief to see that Wentz is okay, but the game acted as a stark reminder of his value.
Corey Clement
One of the most significant plays of last night’s 24-20 loss to the Falcons was the very first play of the second half. Corey Clement fielded a kick return, only to fumble the ball and grant the Falcons a very short field. All momentum came to a sudden halt…or so we thought.
During the play, Clement injured his shoulder. He limped off the field and was spotted after the game with his arm in a sling. While details on all Eagles injuries seem scarce as of right now, Ian Rapoport has provided a positive update.
Clement has already shown how dominant he can be during the team’s Super Bowl run and if last night is any indication, running back depth may well be called upon sooner than we may think. It’s reassuring to know that Clement won’t miss significant time here. Another long-term injury would be devastating for the former UDFA.
Dallas Goedert
The Eagles were without the dynamic tight end after he suffered a calf strain in warmups. It was the same injury that kept him out of three preseason games. There’s no other update outside of that right now, but this could be something that keeps him out of a game or two. Expect Alex Ellis and Joshua Perkins to receive call-ups from the practice squad in an emergency.
DeSean Jackson
There interestingly hasn’t been an update on Jackson’s injury. The star played in just 11 snaps on Sunday night and Mike Garafolo doesn’t seem too optimistic.
Jackson was a gamechanger in week one, returning to midnight green colors in style with 154 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 receptions. But Doug Pederson did have this to say:
“If it were a must-[win] game, playoff situation, I would think that they would try to gut it out, but it’s hard to say,”
If that is the case, then the injuries can’t be too damning.
Jason Kelce
Jason Kelce was evaluated for a concussion but allowed to return to the game. He released a statement after the loss that says a lot about player safety in the NFL.
The good news is that he’s okay.
Jason Peters
No real updates here yet either, unfortunately. But the whole left-hand side of the line struggled last night and it’s hard to gauge whether or not Peters was battling an injury or having a bad game. The stretch where he went down and Andre Dillard was called into action was concerning, but oddly not shocking. Peters isn’t the durable monster he used to be and this could’ve been something as simple as cramping. We can hope.
Sidney Jones
Jones was checked for a concussion and returned to the game later on. He actually played very well for the most part. An interception and some heavy hits headlined a day of encouragement for the former second-round pick.
Timmy Jernigan
After going down in the heart of chaos, Jernigan was spotted walking out of the locker room wearing a boot after the game.
Obviously these reports conflict each other. ‘A month’ is different to ‘the rest of the year’, but either way, this could massively sting a defensive tackle position that’s already lost Malik Jackson for the year.
Jernigan, who re-signed with the team during the offseason, was expected to step up in the wake of Jackson, but a foot injury has now sidelined him once more. This is a crucial year for the former Ravens DT, who missed all but five games last year with an unrelated injury that ripped a guaranteed future in Philadelphia away.
The Eagles did recently sign former Dolphins starter Akeem Spence, who could see a much heavier workload moving forward. Until the finer details are confirmed, it’s tough to speculate too much, but depth at defensive tackle could prove to be problematic once again.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
