The Eagles opened up their practice week without wide receiver Jordan Matthews on Wednesday as he sat out with a back injury that may have been the result of the big hit he took from Falcons safety Keanu Neal last Sunday.
Neal wasn’t penalized after his helmet made contact with Matthews’ helmet hard enough to bend the facemask and leave Matthews with a bloody lip, although Eagles coach Doug Pederson said that the league informed him that it should have been a penalty. That would be little solace for the Eagles if Matthews wasn’t able to play in Seattle this weekend.
In good news for the Eagles, it looks like Matthews is headed in the opposite direction. He is back on the practice field on Thursday, which should leave him in good shape for the matchup with the Seahawks.
It’s less clear whether tight end Zach Ertz will join him. Ertz was not on the field for practice during the portion open to the media a day after he was listed as a limited participant because of a hamstring injury.
