After a bye week that was supposed to allow the Eagles roster to get healthier, it ended up being the exact opposite.
This week we found out that Alshon Jeffery's injury in the game against the Chicago Bears game was much more significant than the team initially reported. Then, Darren Sproles suffered an injury in practice this week which will cost him the rest of his season and probably will end his career. Finally, Jordan Howard apparently suffered a stinger in the Bears game, and wasn't cleared for contact at practice all week.
There was initial hope that Howard would be healthy enough to play, but ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that he will be inactive for Sunday's game against the Patriots.
So the Eagles will face an 8-1 opponent without their top running back, top wide receiver, and also their top linebacker (Nigel Bradham is still out with an ankle injury). Definitely not an ideal situation to be in when every game is important when you're tied for the division lead.
The Birds can certainly overcome these hardships to get a win though. As I recall, the last time they played the Patriots they were missing many more important players, and were still able to beat them on the world's biggest stage. This time around there will be thousands of more Eagles fans in the stands too to try and help keep momentum in the Eagles favor on Sunday and give them a slight advantage.
As for the running game situation, obviously Miles Sanders will get the bulk of the carries. Boston Scott will get a handful of carries, and if the team feels Jay Ajayi is ready to be thrown into the deep-end he might even get a few carries.
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