Eagles OT Lane Johnson reportedly will miss rest of regular season with abdominal injury
The Philadelphia Eagles lost another huge piece of their offense after offensive tackle Lane Johnson reportedly suffered an abdominal injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The injury will knock him out for the remaining two games of the regular season, but there is a chance he can return for the playoffs.
While the Eagles already clinched a playoff berth, the team needs to win one of its next two games to earn the NFC's No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. That became harder after Johnson went down. Philadelphia is already without quarterback Jalen Hurts, who missed Week 16's loss against the Dallas Cowboys with a shoulder sprain. Hurts is reportedly pushing to play in Week 17.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew looked solid in relief of Hurts, but losing Johnson might be a bigger pill to swallow for Philadelphia.
The Eagles are 9-21 in 30 games without their Pro Bowl tackle since 2016, according to NBC Sports' Dave Zangaro. The team's QBR dropped from 61.5 to 47.3 when Johnson isn't on the field since 2013, according to ESPN's Bill Barnwell. This is all likely because Johnson is an incredible pass blocker. He recently set an NFL record for most games without giving up a sack with 28, per NBC Sports, and just two pressures in his past seven games, per CBS. Backup Jack Driscoll, meanwhile, gave up one pressure in 11 snaps when he came in for Johnson this week.
Eagles secondary also reeling
Starting cornerback Avonte Maddox will be out indefinitely with a toe injury, Rapoport also revealed Monday. Maddox, who has played the 11th-most snaps for Philadelphia this season, left the Dallas game after just 19 defensive snaps.
This is another big loss for an Eagles team that is nowhere near full strength heading into the postseason. Maddox had 43 combined tackles, three forced fumbles, one interception and one sack on the year. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who hasn't played since Week 13, is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, though.
The Eagles need that extra week now more than ever, but they'll have two tough matchups to end the season. Philadelphia will play the New Orleans Saints at home in Week 17 and then face the NFC East rival New York Giants in the 2022 regular-season finale in Week 18.
