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Philadelphia Eagles: Jason Peters Injury Could Crush Playoff Chances If Serious

By Phil Naegely

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In the first quarter of their game against the Carolina Panthers, offensive lineman Jason Peters went down with an injury. He had to be carted off the field and he put very little weight on his legs as he favored his right leg walking to the cart. Peters is listed as questionable to return, but he walked very slowly into and out of his x-ray. His absence on the Philadelphia Eagles team is a crushing blow to their playoff chances.

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While the extent of the injury is unknown, this doesn’t appear to be an injury Peters will bounce back from quickly and return to the game on Sunday. It’s important to note that Peters has ruptured his right Achilles tendon twice before. Based on the replays shown and how he went down, it appears Peters blew out his Achilles again, but according to the NBC Sunday Night Football team, Peters has a lower back issue. While still looking like a serious injury, the one positive is that he didn’t rupture his Achilles for a third time.

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A player isn’t carted off the field for a minor injury and this injury is a serious blow to an all ready thin Eagles offensive line. Peters is the most experienced player on an Eagles line that has had issues this season with injuries and not all the players in there for an entire game. The Eagles found success the last two weeks primarily due to continuity among the offensive line. The same players played every offensive play in those two wins.

Now the Eagles are forced to play a backup in place of their best offensive lineman. Not only is Peters the best on the line, his leadership benefited not only the offensive line but also the entire offensive unit. No matter what the injury turns out to be, the Eagles offensive line needs to regroup fast in his absence. They can’t afford to allow Sam Bradford to be pressured, hurried, and sacked often. The defense can only do so much to keep the Eagles in games and alive despite slow offensive drives.

This is an injury the Eagles can’t afford. They were already weak on the offensive line with two skilled offensive lineman being released in the offseason by Chip Kelly. It’s possible the head coach is regretting those decisions, but he moved on from two players that didn’t believe in his system.

With a fast-paced, no-huddle offense, it is even more imperative the Eagles offensive lineman try to hold on in Peter’s absence. Even if he can come back to play this year, back injuries especially the lower back are long-term injuries that take time to heal given the severity of them. Likewise, back injuries can  have prolonged issues once a player is deemed healed. These issues can cause set backs and prevent players from being 100% themselves as they were pre-injury.

While Peters gets X-Rays on his back to determine the severity, it didn’t look good as he was carted to the locker room. No matter the severity back injuries are no joke and should be taken seriously.

The Eagles haven’t ruled out his return, but given how he looked after falling to the ground, don’t hold your breath on seeing him back in the game against the Panthers. If he is miraculously not sore or seriously hurt, the Eagles shouldn’t risk him against the Panthers and let him rest this week. However, it’s most probable that he won’t return either way based on how he had to be carted off the field.

Without Peters on the field, the Eagles’ chances to not only win the NFC East but also make the playoffs takes a big blow. Currently, the NFC East would only get one spot in the playoffs, so it’s imperative the Eagles win the division. Yet, Peters’ latest injury is a crushing blow to the Eagles’ season and chances of finding a spot in the playoffs.

The Eagles have a bye next week, so Peters will have time to recover, but he shouldn’t rush back from something as serious as a back injury. Philadelphia will have to find a way to win games and possibly make the playoffs, but at this point Peters’ injury crushes those chances for now.

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