Eagles Injury Report: RB Mathews Is Questionable, Kendricks and Alonso Out Vs. Giants
By Kevin McGuire
The Philadelphia Eagles have started to see some good things coming out of the running game from new addition Ryan Mathews, but Mathews is listed as questionable for Monday night's NFC East battle with the New York Giants. The Eagles will also once again be without linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso.
Mathews suffered a groin injury last week and was limited in practice on Friday. Being able to go through a full walkthrough on Saturday was encouraging, but the team has officially listed Mathews as questionable for Monday night against the Giants. The good news for the Eagles is DeMarco Murray and Darren Sproles are both healthy. If Mathews is not able to play that will put more pressure on Murray to carry the load, but he has proven to be capable of doing just that during his career. Having Mathews on the field though would be a benefit for the Eagles, as they can mix things up a bit more and give the Giants a few more things to think about on a more routine basis.
This will be the third straight week the Eagles will be without Kendricks or Alonso, once again testing the depth at linebacker. The good news is Jordan Hicks has been filling in about as nicely as he could, and DeMeco Ryans remains healthy to keep at least one starter on the field in the middle of the defense. Hicks picked up four tackles last week in a win against the New Orleans Saints. Fletcher Cox has also been having an impact up front on the eagles defensive line, which has helped to ease the pressure on the linebackers.
The Eagles defensive line will also be dinged up in the depth. Defensive end Brandon Bair is out of action this weekend with a groin injury. Bair's absence is merely a dent on the defensive line depth though, as he is only listed as a third-string end on the Eagles roster.
Questionable:
RB Ryan Mathews (groin)
Out:
WR Nelson Agholor (ankle)
LB Kiko Alonso (knee)
DE Brandon Bair (groin)
LB Mychal Kendricks (hamstring)
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
