close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • Eagles furious with Saints over Darius Slay injury; Lane Johnson also injured
    news

    Eagles furious with Saints over Darius Slay injury; Lane Johnson also injured

    Vaseline Posted on

    play

    NEW ORLEANS − The Eagles lost three star players to injuries during the game, but it was the setback to wide receiver DeVonta Smith that left several New Orleans Saints players furious after the game.

    Smith caught a pass over the middle for a short gain early in the fourth quarter. A few Saints players grabbed him and began to push him backward. Smith appeared to end the play when defensive tackle Khristian Boyd came at him and threw Smith to the ground.

    Smith lay on the grass for a few minutes before slowly getting up and walking to the medical tent. He did not return for the Eagles’ 15-12 win over the Saints on Sunday. The Eagles were already without star receiver AJ Brown, who missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury.

    Smith was evaluated for a concussion, the Eagles announced. There was no further word on his status.

    “Man, that’s the nastiest (expletive) I’ve ever seen in football, bro,” Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson said. “You guys clearly saw (Smith’s) forward progression get stopped. And for them to take a cheap shot on one of our key players, it shows what kind of team they are. They’re league leaders.

    “Whatever the case, man, that has no place in football. You always talk about (Gardner-Johnson) this, (Gardner-Johnson) this, but let’s talk about playing dirty on their end. Ultimately, the league will deal with it.”

    Added right tackle Fred Johnson, who replaced Lane Johnson in the second quarter after the perennial Pro Bowl selection suffered a concussion: “I saw (Smith) catch the ball and I tried to run for the ball. And I saw him (knocked out) and then I waved to the training staff, like he was unconscious. It was scary.

    “You never want to see something like that, especially on a play where he catches the ball and he takes five steps back. It’s up to the officials to call that play dead and take appropriate action if it’s a late hit. DeVonta’s size (6-foot-3, 170 pounds), so it’s unprofessional for a lineman to hit him five steps after he catches the ball.”

    The Eagles also lost the right side of their offensive line to an injury in the second quarter. In addition to Lane Johnson at left, right guard Mekhi Becton left with a finger injury. Tyler Steen, who lost the starting job to Becton in training camp, replaced Becton.

    Wide receiver Britain Covey suffered a shoulder injury early in the game, and cornerback Darius Slay was forced off the field with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter after being pushed to the sideline by Saints forward Trevor Penning.

    Penning was given a 15-yard penalty on the play. Kelee Ringo replaced Slay.

    “I’m just a little emotional after that one,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “I mean, we lose two of our starters on the O-line, the backups come in. I’m so (expletive) proud of Steen and Fred for answering the call. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

    The same applied to the others.

    Gardner-Johnson, for example, was questionable for the game with a foot injury that kept him out of practice Thursday and Friday, but he didn’t want to miss the chance to return to the Saints, who traded him to the Eagles in August 2022.

    Gardner-Johnson tested his foot before the game and made eight tackles, trailing Zack Baun with 13 tackles and a pass defended.

    “Man, there’s so much hate on that side for me,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I don’t know why they hate me. You can’t hate something that you guys created, with all due respect.”

    He then added: “They showed me respect by letting me go two years ago, and I showed respect by coming here and getting a dub.”

    Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like