The Eagles will be without one of their top players in Week 4 when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Right tackle Lane Johnson, who suffered a concussion in the Eagles' Week 3 victory over the New Orleans Saints, has not cleared the league's concussion protocol and therefore will be out for Sunday's game, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Eagles RT Lane Johnson (concussion) didn’t clear the protocol in time for today’s game at the Bucs and will be listed out, NFL sources said,” McLane reported on X, formerly Twitter. “The Eagles are 91-54-1 when he’s in the lineup, 14-22 when he’s not in the regular season. Johnson will be on the sidelines to help assist his replacement, Fred Johnson, though.”
The Eagles and Jalen Hurts will desperately miss the five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro up front against a Bucs defense that prides itself on sending a lot of pressure and getting after the quarterback. Philadelphia has a bye in Week 5, so it's safe to assume this will be the only action that Johnson is forced to miss with this concussion.
The Eagles will be looking for a bit of revenge on Sunday against the Buccaneers, who knocked them out of the playoffs in the NFC Wild Card last season. It is also an opportunity for them to stay in at least a tie for first in the NFC East, and they could take the top spot for themselves if they win and the Washington Commanders lose.
Sunday will be an uphill battle for Philadelphia offensively with all of the injuries they're dealing with. In addition to Johnson's absence, they are also going to be without wide receivers DeVonta Smith (concussion) and AJ Brown (hamstring). After a game last week where Philly struggled on offense for big chunks of the game, they will have some big shoes to fill in Week 4.
