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Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert broke his right forearm late in the third quarter of their Week 9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, November 5. This much-anticipated matchup pitted the top two teams in the NFC East against each other. Potential seeding and playoff destinies were on the line.
After the game, Josh Tolentino of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweeted a slow-motion video of the Goedert injury (shown below). Interactions were in the thousands. Fans of both the Eagles and the Cowboys were quick to argue whether the play in question was dirty or within the bounds of a normal football play.
Much of the discussion concerned what a defender can do in response to an opposing player’s stiff arm. Obviously, emotions played a large part in the reactions. Sloan Piva of Sporting News even went as far as calling Cowboys Safety Markquese Bell a “scumbag” for his part in the play.
In the video, Bell can be seen pulling at Goedert’s arm, which was extended in Bell’s direction in an attempt to stiff-arm after the catch on a run down the sideline. Of course, when Goedert falls to the ground, much of Bell’s weight appears to land on the arm of the Eagles’ tight end.
Goedert’s Injury Leaves Team With Questions to Answer
The injury leaves the team with questions as they enter the bye week. Goedert being out obviously affects both the run game and the passing attack, he’ll undoubtedly be missed as Jason Kelce and the rest of the Eagles’ frontline have already dealt with a rotating cast due to injury.
Regarding Goedert’s vacated targets, Jalen Hurts, who has faced his own injury woes, could depend more on their younger tight ends. They could also further feature their bevy of weapons at wide receiver. Perhaps new signing Julio Jones could even get more snaps.
In Monday’s press conference, when asked if the team would make a signing in Goedert’s absence, Head Coach Nick Sirianni acknowledged that General Manager Howie Roseman would always be looking for ways to improve the roster. He quickly countered that statement, though, saying, “We like the guys we have on this roster. We’re excited about them. We’re excited about them to get an opportunity.” Soon after, he also floated the idea of using different personnel to cope with Goedert being out.
The Road Ahead Doesn’t Get Easier
Unfortunately, in the time Goedert will be recovering, the Eagles will be staring down one of the most challenging stretches of their schedule. In Week 11, after the BYE week, they’ll face a formidable opponent in Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead.
Heavy projections powered by Quarter4 only give the Eagles a 41% chance at victory. After that, it won’t get any easier as they’ll face the Bills and the 49ers.
At the earliest, Goedert is expected to be back with the team in four weeks. This would mean he’d be back just in time to face the Cowboys in their second meeting. With the playoffs just around the corner, this would only add fuel to the fire between these two rivals.
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