The Eagles are still somehow alive in the NFC East race. With four straight divisional games on deck to close the season, they can't afford to lose any of these important matchups. The first matchup in December is against the New York Giants in a Monday Night showdown.
The Eagles are trending in the right direction with their injury reports though. Here's a look at their final report before Monday's game:
WR Nelson Agholor (knee): This might be the same knee issue that has bugged him since the Patriots game. He was still able to play in Miami and bring down three receptions. I doubt he will be inactive, but he might not take as many snaps as he would if he was 100%. Greg Ward will likely see a bump in his snap totals on Monday Night.
DE Derek Barnett (ankle): This injury would have been more impactful earlier in the year, but Josh Sweat is finally starting to produce when he takes the field. If Barnett isn't able to play, then Sweat will likely the starting role, with newcomer Genard Avery maybe some snaps as well.
LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (concussion): KGH was fine earlier in the week, but is now experiencing concussion symptoms. He missed the first three games of the season with a knee injury, so this won't be the first time the Eagles will have to try to replace him on the field. Alex Singleton is currently listed as Grugier-Hill's backup on the team's unofficial depth chart.
RB Jordan Howard (shoulder): This is getting pretty pathetic. Doug Pederson initially said Howard was day-to-day, and he STILL hasn't been cleared for contact OVER A MONTH LATER. I understand not having to give out specific details of a player's injury and rehab, but at this point there is no competitive advantage gained when Pederson refuses to give information that is more accurate than what currently spews from his mouth. "Day-to-day" means that the player is out multiple weeks, while "week-to-week" means a player will miss half the season or might be in a hospital on life support. The only good coming from this is that Miles Sanders is getting a valuable increase in snaps, and Howard's contract might be cheaper if the team wants to keep him around for a few more years.
The Giants are banged up a little bit, with some important players popping up on their final injury report:
QB Daniel Jones (ankle): The Eagles still have yet to face the new franchise quarterback in New York. Instead, as they will face familiar foe Eli Manning on Monday Night. The team has had a lot of successful in the past few years facing Manning, so let's hope that can continue on Monday.
S Jabrill Peppers (back): Peppers had been solid in his first season in New York, recording 76 tackles, five tackles for loss, two QB hits, three forced fumbles, and one interception. With him now on IR, Michael Thomas looks to take his place. Thomas was a Pro Bowler last season, and so far in 2019 has recorded 23 tackles.
DE Chris Peace (knee): Peace was claimed off waivers by the Giants from the Los Angeles Chargers in September. He was primarily a special teamer (18 ST snaps), and only played just two defensive snaps this season. So not much of a loss there for the Giants.
Evan Engram (foot): Graham has now missed five games this season (four in a row). As mentioned earlier, With both Engram and Rhett Ellison both out, the next two tight ends on the Giants roster are Kaden Smith (12 receptions as a rookie this season) and Scott Simonson (11 career receptions in almost five NFL seasons).
TE Rhett Ellison (concussion): It looks like Manning won't be getting much help from his tight ends, as he now will only have Kaden Smith (12 receptions as a rookie this season) and Scott Simonson (11 career receptions in almost five NFL seasons) to throw to.
CB Corey Ballentine (concussion): Ballentine is the Giants' kick returner, so his absence will impact that facet of the Giants' gameplan. He is also plays a little bit or corner for them, getting in 23% of the team's defensive snaps. Their backup returner is Darius Slayton, and as for cornerback Grant Haley (43 tackles this season) is behind Ballentine on that depth chart.
Comments