The Eagles’ estimated practice report for Tuesday shows that wide receiver DeVonta Smith is dealing with a couple of injuries heading into their Black Friday game against the Bears.
Smith was listed as a non-participant due to shoulder and chest issues. The Eagles only held a walkthrough on Tuesday and will issue their injury designations for the week on Thursday.
Wide receiver Xavier Gipson (shoulder), defensive end Brandon Graham (groin), right tackle Lane Johnson (foot), and safety Andrew Mukuba (ankle) were also listed as out. Johnson and Mukuba are not expected to play this week.
Running back Saquon Barkley (groin) also landed on the report. He was listed as a limited participant along with safety Reed Blankenship (thigh) and left guard Landon Dickerson (knee). Tackle Myles Hinton (back), cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (gameday concussion protocol evaluation), and offensive lineman Willie Lampkin (knee, ankle) were listed as full participants.
After Sunday’s 24-21 loss to the Cowboys, during which the Eagles blew a 21-0 lead, Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley said of the opponents, “They wanted it a little more.”
Meeting with reporters on Monday, Coach Nick Sirianni was asked about Barkley’s perception.
“Obviously, we want to go out and put our best effort out at every point, and I felt like when I watched the tape, I saw the effort sky high on both sides of the ball [and] on special teams,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, they went and they got the win. There are always things that factor into it as far as our determination, our effort. I saw that it was high and we all have to be there. I think, like I said, we were. Obviously, Saquon felt something last night and he’s got a great pulse for everything. But as you look at the tape — which obviously after the game, we don’t have the luxury of looking at the tape before we go in and talk to you guys, but I felt like the effort was really, really high in that game.”
Coaches always want to rely on the tape. But the tape is disconnected from the reality. The feeling. The emotion. The momentum.
The Cowboys seized the momentun, and the Eagles couldn’t get it back. Analyzing coaching film doesn’t reveal how it felt for the players on the field. Barkley felt it. The Cowboys dealt it.
And the Eagles now have to deal with figuring out how to get their edge back before Black Friday’s visit from the Bears.
The Eagles jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first 19 minutes of Sunday’s game in Dallas, but their offense never scored again in what wound up as a 24-21 loss.
That kind of inconsistency has plagued the Eagles offense all season and Sunday’s performance came after the team scored 26 points over the previous two games. Given those facts, it was no surprise that head coach Nick Sirianni’s Monday press conference began with questions about the unit.
Sirianni said he is confident that “we’ve got the right people as players, as coaches, that have had success” in the past and that he hasn’t considered any changes involving offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo or other members of the staff.
“No, I haven’t. Again, we are always looking for answers,” Sirianni said, via a transcript from the team. “As coaches, we’re always looking for answers and we’re never into assigning blame. It’s just looking for answers. I think what sometimes can happen is it’s like, ‘It’s just this.’ Well, it’s not just that. It’s every piece of the puzzle; coaching, playing, execution, scheme, everything. We’ve got to be better in all of those aspects. Yesterday, I thought Kevin did a good job of calling it. Obviously, he’s going to want plays back just like every player and myself, we all want plays back. When you’re going through it like that, that’s what you’re always looking at. It’s never in football just one thing, even though you’re always trying to find answers. So, no, I haven’t considered that.”
Sirianni has made tweaks to the coaching staff in past seasons with mixed results, but this year’s Eagles are staying the course for the time being.
Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba is set to miss time after suffering an injury in Sunday’s 24-21 loss to the Cowboys.
NFL Media reports that Mukuba fractured his leg in the second half of the game. Mukuba is expected to go on injured reserve and is likely to have surgery as part of his recovery.
Mukuba has appeared in all 11 games this season and he’s started 10 of them. He had three tackles against Dallas and has 46 tackles, two interceptions, and a half-sack on the season.
Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown are the other safeties on the 53-man roster in Philadelphia. Blankenship injured his thigh against the Cowboys and his outlook for Friday’s game against the Bears is unclear at present.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has failed to replicate his 2024 success this season and a bad year got even worse on Sunday.
Barkley was limited to 22 yards on 10 carries and he lost a fumble in the fourth quarter to help the Eagles spit up a 21-0 lead en route to a 24-21 loss. Barkley said after the game that he felt like a big part of closing out wins last season, but that kind of impact has been “nonexistent” this year.
“I wouldn’t say frustrated,” Barkley said. “More disappointed with myself, not frustrated with anybody else. I’m a big believer the run game starts with me and ends with me. I’m in a little funk right now. I’ve had funks like this before, just got to break it.”
Barkley said that he’s healthy and rejected the notion that opposing defensive approaches explain he he’s been so ineffective.
“I’m not getting the run game going,” Barkley said. “I’m not getting yards. I’m tired of the excuse of people trying to stop the run game. I don’t really subscribe to that. Just got to be better, got to make plays.”
Barkley said he’s confident that he’s “gonna get it right” and the sooner that happens the better for an Eagles offense that has been looking for a consistent identity all season.
