This isn’t what any Philadelphia Eagles fan wants to hear — the key to their offense coming together still in doubt headed into their NFC playoff opener.
“I know we’ve spent all week saying there was nothing that was going to keep Lane Johnson off the field,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo said on Saturday, January 10. “Well .. there is some concern he could miss this game. He was limited in practice all week and he looked good in spurts. But that’s a tough injury. That’s a painful injury. I would say that he’s a legitimate game-time decision.”
Johnson, a 6-time NFL All-Pro right offensive tackle, missed the final 7 games of the regular season with a Lisfranc injury in his foot.
The Eagles, the No. 3 seed in the NFC Playoffs, open their Super Bowl title defense at home against the No. 6 seed San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, January 11, at 4:30 p.m. EST on Fox.
For Philadelphia, much of their success seems to be tied to Johnson, a likely future Pro Football Hall of Famer, being in the lineup.
From The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane on Tuesday, January 5: “Eagles RT Lane Johnson is expected to practice on Wednesday for the first time since he suffered a Lisfranc foot injury vs. the Lions on Nov. 16, per NFL sources. Johnson has made progress in his recovery, but still has to test his right foot before the team makes a decision on his availability for Sunday’s wild card game vs. the 49ers … The Eagles went 3-4 in the 7 games he sat out because of the foot injury, and are now 18-28 in games he hasn’t played during his 13-year career. Johnson has missed just one playoff game — a wild card loss to the Seahawks in 2020 — out of possible 15 in his career. In 2023, he held off adductor surgery until after the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl.”
Original Prognosis on Johnson: Out 4-6 Weeks
The Eagles had a built-in advantage in terms of Johnson’s recovery because they knew they didn’t have to press him into service after they clinched a home playoff game by clinching the NFC East Division title with a Week 16 win over the Washington Commanders.
From NFL.com: “Through all the tumult and drama, the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles have emerged with a history-making playoff berth. The Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders, 29-18, on Saturday to clinch back-to-back NFC East titles, becoming the division’s first repeat winners in 21 years. The feat snaps the NFL’s longest division streak without back-to-back champions.”
Few Players Like Johnson in NFL History
There’s a reason the Eagles have been super average or below average without Johnson — there are few players in NFL history who can dominate the line of scrimmage like the 6-foot-6, 325-pound No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft.
Johnson, who seems like a lock to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, has helped lead the Eagles to the first 2 Super Bowl wins in franchise history and played in another Super Bowl where his team only lost by 3 points to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Eagles Get Bad Injury Update on All-Pro Before Playoff Opener