Lane Johnson Is Out Against 49ers, The 8th Straight Game He Will Miss

PHILADELPHIA – Lane Johnson was a game-time decision, and that decision has been rendered. The Eagles right tackle will be inactive for their playoff opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

It will be the eighth straight game Johnson will miss after suffering a Lisfranc injury on Nov. 16 against the Lions. He was never placed on injured reserve.

There was some excitement that he would play after returning to practice this past week, though he was limited in each of them. Johnson was reportedly still suffering pain and swelling in his injured foot.

Jalyx Hunt has had some good practice battles against Jonson since being drafted last year, and he talked about the excitement of having Johnon back at practice this week.

“It was great,” he said. “It’s always great energy. He’s like a force. He’s like a wall that’s out there all the time. It’s nice welcoming him back because the defense always love to give energy to the offensive players, so to have him out there ripping and running and looking good, feeling good, is exciting.”

Lane Johnson Provided Brief Excitement During Week

Added right guard Tyler Steen, “It’s pretty cool just knowing that you’re playing next to that type of guy. It brings so much confidence to everybody else on the offensive line, especially the guys playing next to him, like me. You know he’s gonna play at a high level, and you know he’s gonna be on his stuff. It allows everybody to play freer and obviously makes my job easier.”

It’s fair to wonder if the Eagles lose against San Fran, thereby ending their season, if we have seen the last of Johnson. It doesn’t seem likely that he would want to go out this way, so chances he would retire are probably slim. Still, he couldn’t get healthy in his 13th season, and the concern is that could become a trend as he approaches his 36th birthday in May.

There’s no guarantee that Johnson would be able to play should they beat the Niners and play the Bears in Chicago next weekend. He hasn’t spoken to the media since Oct. 9 so there’s no telling what he’s thinking about the injury or his long-term future.

Fred Johnson will take Lane Johnson’s place for an eighth-straight week. Johnson has played well enough in Lane’s absence, but the Eagles are a better team with their fourth-overall pick from the 2013 NFL draft on the field. They are 3-4 this season without him and 18-27 overall.

Also inactive for the Eagles are Josh Uche,, Jaokorian Bennett, A.J. Dillon, Ty Robinson, and Sam Howell, who will be the emergency quarterback. Intersting to note here is that the Eagles are keeping rookie Mac McWilliams active over Bennett, who struggled in last week's loss to the EWashington Commanders.

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