Aaron Rodgers’ Injury Is A Benefit To The Philadelphia Eagles, But A Cautionary Tale

Aaron Rodgers had an electric entrance to the New York Jets’ Monday Night Football appearance last night, as he entered MetLife Field carrying an American flag on the anniversary of 9/11. It was a moment that made Jets fans believe in their team for the first time in what feels like forever… and then a moment later it was gone. Only 3 plays into his tenure as the starting QB for the Jets, Rodgers went down awkwardly, and eventually would be carted from the sideline to the locker room. The fear is that it is an Achilles injury, and one that may cost Rodgers his season. It’s a debilitating blow to a team with huge aspirations for this season, but one that does end up in a benefit for the Philadelphia Eagles. There are sure to be mixed feelings around the NFL today as the league begins to evaluate the new landscape of a season that now does not have a man who has won MVP in 2 of the last 3 seasons.

Let’s start with the Eagles’ perspective on the injury. The Eagles have a week 6 matchup with the Jets on their schedule that easily looked like their first tough game of the season. Now, with Zach Wilson or some other QB at the helm for New York (Carson Wentz??), that contest does not look nearly as daunting. Rodgers made that team a contender, and without him, the birds now have an easier path to their season goals. There are plenty of things to focus on in house for the Eagles, and still 4 more opponents to take care of before the Jets are on the radar (aviation joke) for Philly, but it’s hard to see Aaron Rodgers go down and not selfishly think of another winnable game showing up on the schedule. In a year with Super Bowl aspirations, any game that can swing the Eagles’ way is a good thing.

But that’s the thing, right? It’s a Super Bowl contending year here in Philadelphia. That makes the Rodgers injury not just a benefit, but a warning. One injury is all it takes to change the course of a team’s season entirely, and the Eagles are not immune to that. Jalen Hurts needs to stay upright for 17 regular season games, and then the postseason when the birds get there. If the number 1 most important goal for the Eagles is winning football games, the 1A most important is the health of their franchise QB. I mean, we all saw what Marcus Mariota looked like in the preseason, right? The Aaron Rodgers injury was a freak thing that happened in the backfield with a defensive player rolling up on his lower leg, but that’s not the only way that guys go down, and Nick Sirianni and his staff need to be aware of that.

So, what can you do to prevent it? Well in the case of what happened to the Jets, there really is no clean way. In fact, it’s impossible to guarantee the health of a player over the course of 17 NFL games unless that player is standing comfortably on the sidelines with a clipboard in hand. But the Eagles do have something they can do to help their chances. The QB runs that have been a large part of Jalen Hurts’ game and in turn the Eagles offense put the birds’ most important player at a much larger risk of injury. He’s already taken some hard hits through just one week. He’s a much younger and more athletic player than Rodgers is at this point in his career, but it doesn’t make Hurts indestructible. If you didn’t already believe that a more passing-centric offense is a necessity for the Eagles over the rest of the year, this should push you even closer to that. If Hurts isn’t healthy, Philly is dead in the water. Protecting him is of utmost importance, and Monday Night was a cautionary tale of what not doing that can look like.

The Philadelphia Eagles could potentially insert three Week 2 starters who didn't start in Week 1. They will play their home opener for the 2023 NFL season at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings.

The defending NFC champs defeated the New England Patriots 25-20 in Foxborough in Week 1.

Despite an underwhelming performance, especially on offense, the Eagles snuck away with a victory. Jalen Hurts threw for only 170 yards. He also fumbled at a key moment in the game during the fourth quarter. The turnover gave the Patriots life when the visitors should've won the game easily.

Nick Sirianni showed no signs of panic during his postgame press conference after defeating Bill Belichick and the Patriots. He improved his record to 3-0 in season openers as a head coach.

Dallas Goedert and newcomer D'Andre Swift figure to be a bigger part of the offense in Week 2. Neither player made a significant impact in the season-opening victory.

The Eagles could potentially use three new starters in Week 2. While many people expected Swift as the primary running back, Kenny Gainwell got the start. He shouldered a heavy workload, going against the expectations of the "running back by committee" approach. 

The status of Nakobe Dean is in question. If he can't go, the Eagles will likely move Christian Elliss into the starting lineup. He is the only other linebacker on the active roster. Nicholas Morrow might be a candidate to elevate from the practice squad.

There were questions heading into Week 1 about the safety position. While the overwhelming majority expected Reed Blankenship to start, the second spot was between Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds. Evans started and played almost the entire game, with minimal snaps for Edmunds.

Injury news will trickle out as the week moves along. The quick turnaround forces Nick Sirianni to decide his Week 2 starters quickly.

Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020

Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)

Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)

Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021

Wide Receiver, #16
Southern Miss
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (200th overall) in 2020

Tight End, #88
South Dakota State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018

Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018

Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021

Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011

Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022

Right Tackle, #65
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013

Defensive End, #55
University of Michigan
14th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2010

Defensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012

Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022

Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018

Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)

Linebacker, #52
Vanderbilt University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (August 2023)

Linebacker, #53
University of Idaho
2nd NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (September 2021)

Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State University
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)

Cornerback, #28
University of Alabama
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)

Safety, #30
Mississippi Gulf Coast
4th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)

Safety, #26
Virginia Tech
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)