Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Lane Johnson leaves with concussion, setting up short-week challenge for Eagles

It's back to 'Big V' at right tackle with Carolina trip looming on a short week.

Eagles reserve offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai (72) replaced right tackle Lane Johnson, who left the game against the Cardinals with a head injury.
Eagles reserve offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai (72) replaced right tackle Lane Johnson, who left the game against the Cardinals with a head injury.Read moreCLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer

Lane Johnson missed the second half of the Eagles' 34-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals because of what the team termed a "head injury" but a league source confirmed was a concussion. A short week puts his status in question for Thursday's game at the Carolina Panthers.

Coach Doug Pederson offered little clarity, not even confirming that his right tackle suffered a concussion. Halapoulivaati Vaitai "did a nice job in [Johnson's] absence," Pederson said.

The league has a mandated concussion protocol that makes it difficult for a player to return in time for a Thursday game. That was the case with Brent Celek in 2012 and Zach Ertz in 2015. Ertz wouldn't comment on Johnson's injury, but he acknowledged the challenge of the protocol in a short week.

"I know it was extremely difficult to play that following Thursday," Ertz said.

The Eagles went into a tailspin while Johnson missed 10 games last season because of suspension. Vaitai, who replaced Johnson for most of those games, is more experienced. That will help. But it would still be difficult to replace a Pro Bowl-caliber right tackle, especially against the 4-1 Panthers' edge rushers.

"We didn't miss a beat," quarterback Carson Wentz said of Vaitai. "Big V stepped up, and it seemed like he did a great job. … We know Lane's a heck of a football player. Hopefully, he can recover and be ready to go. We'll see what happens, but at the same time, Big V's had tons of valuable experience and reps last year, and he got a ton better, so we feel solid if Lane's not ready to go. We know Big V will be ready."

Run game isn’t hobbled

Without Wendell Smallwood (knee), the Eagles used a combination of LeGarrette Blount, Corey Clement, and Kenjon Barner at running back. Blount was the leading rusher with 14 carries for 74 yards. Barner rushed five times for 23 yards, and Clement added 17 yards on seven carries.

Clement also took a bulk of the third-down snaps. The Eagles needed the undrafted rookie to block against the blitz-happy Cardinals.

"I tried to emphasize my blocking more than getting out to my pass routes," Clement said. "I wanted to show that Carson can be protected once I'm in there."

Clement did make his first NFL catch, a screen pass he took 22 yards.

Smallwood, a second-year back, has struggled with injuries. His 2016 season ended with a right MCL tear that left the joint susceptible to the kind of swelling that sidelined him Sunday, a source close to the situation said.

Returns fuel rout

Barner's 76-yard return of an Andy Lee punt to the Arizona 15 set up the Eagles' second touchdown and really ramped up the momentum toward a runaway.

A few Eagles noted during the week that the Cards were giving up 10.3 yards per punt return, sixth-worst in the NFL. They said it had to do with punter Andy Lee outkicking his coverage. Sure enough, Barner had room to maneuver after Lee's 56-yard boot.

"We had a 'jet left' return call," Barner said. "My guys up front did a great job opening lanes for me, so I could see the field. I was able to make a guy miss and cut back, and I would have liked to finish that play a lot different [in the end zone], but I'm happy and blessed."

Eagles special teams stalwart Kamu Grugier-Hill said of Lee's punt, "He doesn't have much hang time on it, so we knew we'd have time to execute on that. And we did. Most of the credit has got to go to Kenjon. He made a lot of guys miss on that one … . With [Darren] Sproles out, he's come in and made huge strides in filling that role."

Sproles suffered an ACL tear, a broken arm, and wrist-ligament damage in the Giants game, ending his season. The Eagles brought back Barner a few days later. His 19-yard return of Lee's first punt gave the team a 54-yard field for the first touchdown drive.

Birdseed

It was mildly surprising that Jaylen Watkins, who started the Kansas City game at corner after Ronald Darby dislocated an ankle in the opener, was inactive Sunday. Watkins missed two games with a hamstring problem suffered against the Chiefs, but he practiced all week for the Cardinals. Rasul Douglas got the start again and seemed to play well … . After all that discussion of Larry Fitzgerald's success against the Eagles, the future Hall-of-Famer caught five passes for 51 yards, four of them in the second half, with his team far behind and the home team giving a cushion … . Marcus Johnson's 6-yard catch was the first of his career and part of a 9-for-14 third-down conversion day for the Eagles.