The Philadelphia Eagles have been a terrible funk as they now cannot control whether they are going to be the NFC East champions or if the Dallas Cowboys will win the division. They were unable to do much on the defensive side of things on Sunday as they lost at home to the Arizona Cardinals 35-31, marking a 1-4 record in their previous five games.
However, more than just another loss on their ledger, they also may have lost a significant piece of the offense as it is being reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that wide receiver Devonta Smith suffered a mild ankle sprain in the fourth quarter.
#Eagles WR Devonta Smith suffered a mild ankle sprain Sunday vs. Arizona, per sources. pic.twitter.com/x9qzt95in6
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 1, 2024
The injury is believed to have happened while Smith was blocking during a screen pass. Devonta Smith has been a massive part of the offense for the Philadelphia Eagles as he has 81 receptions on 112 targets for 1,066 yards (13.2 yards per catch) with seven touchdown recpetions. He was relatively quiet in the game though as he had three catches on five targets for 30 yards.
This Philadelphia Eagles team has to figure out a lot about themselves between now and the NFC Wild Card Round as they could be going home extremely earlier than expected if they can’t do so.
What are the chances that the Philadelphia Eagles win the NFC East?
One of the most amazing stats is that there has not been a repeat NFC East champion in the previous 18 seasons. The Philadelphia Eagles controlled their own destiny before the Week 17 loss and now need help from an unlikely opponent to do so.
In order for the Eagles to capture the NFC East division crown and get a home playoff game, they would need to go on the road and defeat the New York Giants in Week 18 and have the Washington Commanders defend home field with a win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The Giants and Eagles did play on Christmas Day in Philly with the Eagles winning 33-25 but it’s difficult to believe in this Eagles team right now to win games. The Cowboys have been a struggling road team but they can put up a fight. While it’s likely the Cowboys win the division and the Eagles play the NFC South division winner in the Wild Card round, things can always change.
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