If you just had to guess who the most important player on the Philadelphia Eagles roster is right now, the knee-jerk reaction is probably to single out one of the offensive skill positions.
Jalen Hurts. Saquon Barkley. A.J. Brown. DeVonta Smith.
If we’re talking defense, maybe it’s Quinyon Mitchell, Zack Baun or Jalen Carter.
In truth, it’s probably none of those dudes. In truth, it’s probably 5-time NFL All-Pro right offensive tackle Lane Johnson, who has missed the last 3 games with a Lisfranc sprain.
Don’t believe it? Just gauge how desperate the Eagles are to get Johnson back for Week 15 against the Las Vegas Raiders after losing 3 consecutive games and watching their record drop to 8-5 overall.
“Eagles hoping to soon get back their All-Pro OT Lane Johnson from his Lisfranc sprain in his right foot, and they need him,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Tuesday, December 9. “This season, the Eagles are 0-3 without Johnson. Since Johnson’s rookie season in 2013, the Eagles are 120-62-1 in the 183 games he has played, a win percentage of .656. In the 42 games without him, the Eagles now are 15-27, a win percentage of .357.”
When it comes to Johnson, a 2-time Super Bowl champion and likely future Pro Football Hall of Famer, those numbers make it undeniable. He’s the one.
Johnson Managed to Avoid Going on IR
The biggest hurdle for Johnson to getting back in the regular season was not going on injured reserve, which would have kept him out for at least 4 games.
“Eagles didn’t place Lane Johnson on injured reserve today because he won’t need surgery and there’s a good chance he could return within four games after suffering a Lisfranc injury to his right foot on Sunday, NFL sources said,” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane wrote on his official X account on November 22. “Original estimate before further testing indicated he could be out 4-6 weeks. If Johnson misses only three games he would be back for the Raiders game on Dec. 14.”
Johnson, 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds, is widely considered one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history. He is in his 13th season and signed a 1-year, $25 million contract extension this offseason which brought his career earnings to approximately $163.4 million.
“The Eagles are now 15–27 when Lane Johnson doesn’t play,” ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky wrote on his official X account. “Every game he misses, stitch another thread into his gold jacket.”
Eagles Might Need to Run Table Over Final 4 Games
Sitting at 8-5 with 4 games left, the Eagles are perfectly set up to run the table, win the NFC East and cruise into the playoffs with a chance to defend their Super Bowl title.
If they stumble, there’s some problems. We can almost guarantee the Eagles are going to win 3 of their last 4 games — they host the Raiders before consecutive road games against the Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills before returning home to face the Commanders in the Week 18 regular-season finale.
Going 3-1 over those final 4 games will almost assuredly lock down the NFC East title. Stumble once in the other 3 games and the Eagles might find themselves looking over their shoulders at the Dallas Cowboys, who are in second place at 6-6-1.
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