By Week 2, the Eagles’ two top offseason additions had both virtually had their seasons ruined by injuries. By Week 8, 10 of their starters would have missed at least one game due to injuries. Additionally, the Eagles will probably have missed 20 players for a total of 168 games this season when they face the New York Giants on Sunday.
Without mentioning Malik Jackson’s season-opening foot injury, DeSean Jackson’s puzzling abdomen injury, multiple injuries to important players like Lane Johnson, Derek Barnett, Jason Peters, and Jordan Howard, or to crucial positions like wide receiver and cornerback, it would be impossible to tell the story of 2019.
The rib fracture suffered by tight end Zach Ertz, the most recent setback for the Eagles, could finish the season. Within the Philadelphia bubble, the injuries may appear horrifying, yet the Eagles lost fewer games in 2019 than they did in 2018.
The Eagles will have had a 31.5 percent decline from previous season, when they had 28 players miss an NFL-high 221 games, when Ertz, Johnson, and receiver Nelson Agholor were all out and other less-injured players were active.
The total number may be affected by a wide range of factors. For instance, the Eagles lost a number of players early in the 2017 season as a result of their Super Bowl-winning season, which continued into February. Jordan Mailata, a tackle, is still on injured reserve this season despite having fully healed from a back ailment.
As essential to football as the goal posts are injuries. But the teams that, for whatever reason, manage to dodge the injury bug or successfully deal with its effects are frequently the ones that advance to the postseason.
Doug Pederson is unable to evade the issue. When reporters ask the Eagles coach for updates, he frequently jokes that he doesn’t possess a stethoscope, but you can bet that he is aware of the specifics of his players’ injuries. But on Thursday, he wasn’t really focused on the bigger picture of the Eagles’ ailments or whether there had been snake-bites during the previous two years.
It’s a component of the game. It will take place, according to Pederson. “You can’t miss them during the entire football season. It’s not snakebite, in my opinion. Unlucky perhaps, but all in the sake of fun.
The number of games the Eagles missed due to injury increased by 43 percent from 2017 to 2018 (a total of 126 games were missed by 23 players). They were ranked bottom in the league according to Football Outsiders’ estimations after finishing 13th the year prior.
Although there isn’t a current database for this year’s statistics regarding games lost, the Eagles have fewer injured reserve players than the NFL average (12.4), with 11. They are outnumbered by ten clubs, with the Vikings having the fewest (three), the Redskins having the most (19), and two other teams having as many.
The following players were added to the injured reserve list this week: cornerback Ronald Darby, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, running back Darren Sproles, defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway, running back Corey Clement, safety Rudy Ford, defensive end Joe Ostman, Mailata, and both Jacksons.
Clearly, the losses suffered by Jackson and Jeffery were more expensive than those endured by Ford and Ridgeway. Although the Eagles would have preferred not to lose Howard or Agholor, their injuries gave running back Miles Sanders and receiver Greg Ward more playing time. Both players have improved over the past several weeks.
If anything, Pederson’s Eagles have shown resiliency over his four seasons in charge. The team’s success in the last two seasons with backup quarterback Nick Foles and without starting quarterback Carson Wentz, including a championship, is sufficient proof.
Wentz has played in all 16 games this season, so keeping him healthy was crucial, and the Eagles are benefiting from it as he has played his best football of the season during the last three games.
The postseason successes continued throughout the ensuing campaigns as players either postponed surgery or sustained injuries. Barnett, Jeffery, and defensive end Brandon Graham were among those impacted after 2017. Fletcher Cox, a defensive tackle, Nigel Bradham, a linebacker, and Brandon Brooks, a guard, were all impacted after 2018 but would all return.
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