The wildcards in the NFL are injuries. Teams can be sailing along with the playoffs in their sights until a key injury takes away an important player in the starting lineup. A coaching staff’s best laid plans can get out of kilter and customers at Pennsylvania sports betting sites can envision their possible winnings slipping away.
That happened in Week 1 to the Jets when quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the foundation of New York’s efforts to make a playoff run, injured his Achilles tendon. Since then, every week has brought new injuries, sometimes dramatically changing the fortunes of affected teams.
Lane Johnson Situation Scary For Eagles
Week 6 of the NFL season was no different. Among the teams most seriously impacted were the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only were the Birds victims of a 20-14 loss to the Jets, but they suffered a key injury to a surprising impactful player, right offensive tackle Lane Johnson.
The injury to Johnson, an ankle sprain, should have Eagles fans nervous. Skill position players get most of the attention, but Johnson’s presence in the lineup has a substantial impact on the Eagles overall.
And we have the numbers to prove it. Check out the numbers that PennStakes.com – where you can find the best PA sportsbook promo codes – found at StatMuse for the Eagles with and without Lane Johnson over the past 10 years:
Eagles With And Without OT Lane Johnson
Situation Very Different Without Star Tackle
The statistics above, on the Eagles with and without Lane Johnson, are striking. Bettors watching the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl odds with PennStakes.com would do well to also keep track of this situation.
Johnson is considered one of the best right tackles in the league, both in run blocking and pass protection. Philadelphia’s record with Johnson, in the games since the team drafted him No. 4 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, is 84-48-1. Without the four-time Pro Bowl selection manning the right flank, Philadelphia is 13-22.
After Johnson left Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium in the first quarter, replacement Jack Driscoll struggled mightily against New York’s pass rush. That put quarterback Jalen Hurts under duress the entire game. Hurts threw three interceptions after Johson left the game. Before Johnson’s injury, Hurts had thrown just four interceptions all season.
The severity of Johnson’s ankle sprain is being minimized Monday, with reports indicating that Johnson might play in Week 7 against Miami. The Eagles, and their backers at PA sportsbook apps, need to hope that’s true.
