History tells us when the Philadelphia Eagles don’t have right offensive tackle Lane Johnson on the field, their odds of winning go down exponentially.
Now, they’ll have to figure out a way to advance in the NFC Playoffs without him against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round and give the perennial NFL All-Pro a chance to help them down the road.
According to multiple reports, Johnson won’t play against the 49ers due to a Lisfranc injury in his foot – the eighth consecutive game he’s missed due to the injury.
“Eagles OT Lane Johnson is inactive today,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account shortly before kickoff on Sunday, January 11.
Johnson, 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds, seemed on track to return to the lineup until 24 hours before the game, when reports began to circulate he’d suffered a setback at practice.
“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, who is in his 13th NFL season, is a 6-time NFL All-Pro and 2-time Super Bowl champion with approximately $165 million in career earnings.
Fred Johnson will continue to start in his place.
Eagles Open Title Defense vs. 49ers
The Eagles, the No. 3 seed in the NFC Playoffs, open their Super Bowl title defense against the 49ers 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.”
Offensive Woes Prevailing Issue for Philly
Philadelphia’s offensive struggles have been the main storyline around the team this season — from wide receiver A.J. Brown complaining publicly about not getting the ball enough early in the year to almost everyone in Philadelphia laser focused on offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo getting his walking papers in the second half of the season.
It’s not a stretch to say having Johnson for an entire season might have been able to negate some of that negativity.
“Lisfranc injuries are extremely tough,” Draft Day Trade’s Jake Rabadi wrote on his official X account on January 11. “The good news is that it isn’t a fracture. Lane Johnson not pushing things with it is understandable and makes sense. The Eagles’ reporting of the injury during the entire process has been the frustrating part.”
Eagles Make Final Decision on Injured OT Lane Johnson Before 49ers Playoff Game