Lane Johnson And Jalen Carter Expected To Play Vs Bills

The Eagles have been without arguably their best players on both sides of the ball the past few weeks. Lane Johnson missed the last 5 games with a foot injury. Jalen Carter missed the last 3 games after a procedure on both of his shoulders. However, according to Adam Schefter, both are expected to return this Sunday when the Eagles travel to Buffalo to face the Bills.

The Eagles went 2-3 without Lane Johnson. Continuing a long-standing trend of them struggling whenever their RT misses time. They are now 17-26 in games Lane does not start. Fred Johnson was solid in relief, but even a capable backup like him is a massive step down from Lane.

They fared a bit better without Jalen Carter. They went 2-1 in his absence. Granted the 2 wins came vs arguably the 2 worst teams in the league. But his replacements took huge leaps in his stead. Jordan Davis has been a monster, and Brandon Graham slid inside and racked up 3 sacks. Not bad for a 37-year-old fresh out of retirement. But getting Carter back should only make that group stronger.

The Eagles are likely locked into the 3 seed. But they can still jump up to the 2 seed, and even the 1-seed, if they win out and they get some help from around the NFL. Those scenarios are long shots, but technically possible. More likely, the Eagles will be the 3-seed. They might not even have much to play for in week 18.

But they still likely want to get Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter some reps before the playoffs. So as of now, the two will play on Sunday. Although we might see them, and most of the starters, rest in week 18 against the Commanders unless a lot of very specific things happen between now and then, giving them a shot at the 1 seed.