The Eagles will be without a key piece of their offense as they open up the playoffs.
Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown will be ruled out for the Eagles' Super Wild Card Weekend matchup with the Buccaneers on Monday night, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported Saturday morning. It was made official with the Eagles' final injury report later in the day.
This will mark the first game that Brown will miss this season after injuring his knee during the Eagles' Week 18 loss to the Giants last Sunday. Brown exited the game in the first quarter after a play in which he fumbled the ball after a catch, lying on the turf while grabbing his knee after the play. He eventually was able to walk off the field, and it was reported at the time it was not believed to be a serious knee injury.
Brown did not practice Thursday or Friday, and though head coach Nick Sirianni expressed optimism earlier in the week that he might be able to play, in the end the turnaround was too quick for the wide receiver to take the field for the first weekend of the playoffs.
Sirianni discussed Brown's unavailability with reporters on Saturday, detailing the effort Brown went into to try and play.
"It was going to be a stretch for A.J. to play," Sirianni said. "...But he fought like crazy to try to do everything he could do to do so, which doesn't surprise me at all about A.J. He's tough, and he'd do anything for his teammates, unfortunately he won't be able to rip it this week."
However, should the Eagles defeat the Buccaneers and advance, Garafolo said Brown could return for the Divisional Round next week.
Brown has paced the Eagles' receiving room this season with his 106 receptions and 1,456 receiving yards. He also is tied for the team-lead in receiving touchdowns with 7. The Eagles' other starting wide receiver, DeVonta Smith, is also battling an injury, an ankle ailment that cause him to miss Week 18. While Brown was absent from practice all week, Smith's status was more promising, being listed as a full participant in the team's first two practices.
With it likely that Smith will play, it will be up to him and some less-utilized receivers to carry the load with Brown sidelined. No wideout other than Brown and Smith has 165 or more receiving yards this season.
The Eagles and Buccaneers kick off in Tampa Bay at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday night to conclude Super Wild Card Weekend.
