The Philadelphia Eagles will need to play a nearly flawless game this Thursday if they hope to upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The reigning Super Bowl champs are fresh off of a 45-point explosion against the Miami Dolphins and appear to be firing on all cylinders.
Knocking off the Bucs will be an even tougher task for the Eagles based on the news they received on Wednesday.
According to multiple reports, including from The Athletic’s Zach Berman, starting offensive lineman Lane Johnson has been ruled out of Thursday night’s game in Philadelphia. The All-Pro tackle was listed as being unavailable due to a personal matter.
Johnson wasn’t present at either of the team’s two walkthroughs this week, so it seemed unlikely that he would return to the Eagles in time to be in the starting lineup.
Even more concerning, the 31-year-old has already missed Philadelphia’s last two games stirring up some doubt that he’ll be back for any of the remaining 2021 season.
Lane Johnson is out.
Derek Barnett, Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata are playing.
Dallas Goedert is on the COVID-19 reserve list, so his status is not included on the injury report.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) October 13, 2021
Earlier this week, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni addressed Johnson’s prolonged absence from the team. Although he didn’t go into details, he said that the organization is “hopeful” to get the three-time Pro Bowler back this season.
“We’re hopeful that Lane will be back this year,” Sirianni said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Not going to go into any more than that, but we’re hopeful to have him back because we know how important Lane is to our football team.”
With Johnson out, 24-year-old Jordan Mailata will likely slide back over to right tackle from his usual starting spot on the opposite side of the line. Andre Dillard will move up the depth chart and fill in at left tackle for Mailata.
The Eagles will have to hope that their offensive line can withstand the high-powered pass-rush of the Buccaneers if they want to pull off the upset on Thursday night.
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