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Injury Status of Eagles' Star Wide Receivers Looms Large as Bucs Playoff Game Approaches

The status of DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, both of whom are dealing with lower body injuries, will play a huge role in determining the outcome of Monday's playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Collin Haalboom|
Injury Status of Eagles' Star Wide Receivers Looms Large as Bucs Playoff Game Approaches
Injury Status of Eagles' Star Wide Receivers Looms Large as Bucs Playoff Game Approaches

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Tampa Bay BuccaneersPhiladelphia Eagles

Despite their struggles as of late, the Philadelphia Eagles remain a force to be reckoned with. The fact is, they're simply too talented to be overlooked. Especially for a Buccaneers' team that has lacked consistency throughout the year. 

Teams with proven star power are always dangerous. And similar to the Buccaneers, the Eagles boast one of the most dynamic wide receiver duos in the league. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 2,522 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season. 

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However, DeVonta Smith missed the team's final game of the season due to an ankle injury. To complicate matters further, in the midst of being blown out by an unimpressive New York Giants team in that game, Philly's number one receiver, A.J. Brown, went down with a knee injury that did not look good.

As a result, there have been a lot of question marks surrounding the health of these two players heading into their first-round playoff matchup with the Buccaneers for Super Wildcard Weekend. 

On Thursday, shortly after the Eagles concluded their practice, some key updates regarding the status of these two players were provided. 

First of all, DeVonta Smith made it clear that he will be good to go for the game. The former Heisman Trophy winner was a full participant in practice for the first time in a couple of weeks. 

On the other hand, Smith's running mate, A.J. Brown, was not able to participate in Eagles practice on Thursday. His absence naturally casts a larger shadow of doubt over his status for Monday night's game vs. Tampa Bay.

Together, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith are the undisputed focal points of an Eagles' offense that has achieved great success — highlighted by an appearance in last year's Super Bowl — over the past two years. Ultimately, their presence in the lineup is essential for the Philadelphia Eagles' offense to be successful. 

Which means that on Friday, all eyes in Philadelphia — and Tampa for that matter — will be focused on whether or not A.J. Brown takes the field with his teammates for practice. If not, the likelihood of him playing in his team's first postseason game becomes even less likely. 

Which in turn means the Philadelphia Eagles' chances of beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers become less likely too.

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.

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