Why the 49ers hope this player won't return for the Eagles

The outcome of this game could come down the the health of this player.

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When it comes to the San Francisco 49ers and their 2025 season, the question has always come down to injuries. While that will still be the case on the 49ers' side in their Wild Card matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, it is an interesting twist that arguably the most important injury status of the week will come from the Eagles' side.

The team is going to need Lane Johnson healthy in this game.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles have Lane Johnson healthy for their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers

When he is healthy, Johnson is the best right tackle in the NFL. However, he has been sidelined for the last seven games with a Lisfranc injury. Johnson practiced on Wednesday, but that is the first time he got serious work in almost two months. There is a real question as to what his status will be and how effective he will be. 

The Eagles without Johnson is essentially as devastating to the Eagles as Trent Williams' missing this game would be to the 49ers. The Eagles are 18-28 when he does not play. They went 3-4 without him over this stretch, but that was against third-string quarterbacks in all three of their wins. 

According to SumerSports, the Eagles' yards per play are up 0.35 with Johnson in the lineup this year. Their pass yards per play go up 0.95, and their rush yards are up 0.47 per play. Their EPA per play also goes from -0.030, so a poor unit, to 0.069, which would be the 10th best offense in the NFL. 

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This group is completely different with and without him, and the reason so many tend to be down on the Eagles heading into the postseason is because of how they have looked without him.

If Johnson comes back, this might be a better offense than fans expect from the Eagles. They could look like a top ten unit, and they could put up too many points on the San Francisco defense. 

However, if he is not back, is ineffective, or leaves the game, we are looking at San Francisco against a poor offense. We have seen them hold those groups to 20 and sometimes fewer. That would be enough to give the offense a chance to win this game. 

Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall are massive injuries to follow throughout the week, but 49ers fans should also peek across the injury report to find out the status of Lane Johnson.