Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith will miss his team’s regular-season finale against the New York Giants this Sunday due to an ankle injury, via Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
Smith initially suffered the injury during the Eagles’ loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week. He logged three catches for 30 yards before leaving.
This will represent the first time Smith has missed a game in his NFL career.
Given how inconsistent Philadelphia’s aerial attack has been in general this season, this is absolutely a significant blow for the Eagles.
Smith has hauled in 81 receptions for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns this year and, along with A.J. Brown, helps comprise one of the league’s most lethal receiving duos.
The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by Philly with the 10th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He enjoyed a terrific rookie campaign, catching 64 passes for 916 yards and five scores. Then, last year, Smith was even better, snaring 95 balls for 1,196 yards while reaching the end zone seven times.
While Smith was not as electric as Brown this season, only putting together a pair of 100-yard efforts, he has been incredibly consistent, and there is no doubt that the Eagles will miss his presence on the field when they take on the Giants.
Philadelphia was 10-1 earlier in the season, but it has since lost four of its last five games to fall to 11-5. Not only that, but Philly has dropped out of first place in the NFC East. The Eagles can still win the division, but they would need to beat New York while also hoping the Dallas Cowboys lose to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Regardless, Philadelphia would much prefer to have DeVonta Smith healthy for the playoffs as the team aims to make it back to the Super Bowl.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.