Fresh off an uneven season-opening win over the New England Patriots, it appears that the Philadelphia Eagles will be without two key starters on Thursday night.
NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reports that running back Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) and cornerback James Bradberry (concussion protocol) are unlikely to go against the Minnesota Vikings.
These are significant injuries in that the Eagles will see a drop off in production when they have to go to their reserves.
In particular, Bradberry’s absence will be a big deal with Philadelphia slated to vie with record-breaking Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Meanwhile, rookie first-round pick Jordan Allison showed out big time in his debut last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two combined to catch 13 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown from Kirk Cousins.
Related: Philadelphia Eagles standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings
Bradberry was awesome for the Eagles en route to helping lead them to the NFC Championship Game a season ago. His stats were otherworldly.
James Bradberry stats (2022): 44 tackles, 17 passes defended, 3 INT, 51.6 QB rating allowed
Last week saw Patriots quarterback Mac Jones complete 35-of-54 passes for 316 yards with three touchdowns and an interception against the Eagles’ vaunted defense. Though, Darius Slay did record a pick-six of Jones in the first quarter. He’ll have to step up in this one.
As for Gainwell, Philadelphia’s RB1 led the team with 14 rush attempts for 54 yards last week. Acquired this past offseason in a trade with the Detroit Lions, D’Andre Swift ran the ball just one time for three yards. Meanwhile, Boston Scott also had one run for three yards. We can expect free agent signing Rashaad Penny to be active Thursday night after he was a healthy scratch in the opener.