A.J. Brown among several Philadelphia Eagles to leave loss vs. New York Giants with injury
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A.J. Brown has had a quiet month after setting an NFL record this season.
With fellow wideout DeVonta Smith already sidelined for the Week 18 matchup against the New York Giants, Brown was primed for a big afternoon in the regular season finale with a potential NFC East title on the line.
But instead, Brown ended up leaving the game.
Late in the first quarter, Brown fumbled the ball after hauling in a pass from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on a slant. After he was tackled, Brown was down on the ground grabbing at his right knee -- a sight nobody in the Eagles organization wants to see with a playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looming ahead.
"Obviously, I feel terrible," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. "Any time any of our players get hurt, I feel terrible. It's a tough thing to have to go through an injury, play through an injury. I'm hoping he's OK and we'll see how the week goes."
Brown wasn't the only Eagles player to get hurt. The injuries piled up for the beat-up Birds in the 27-10 loss against the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Safeties Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown and guard Cam Jurgens all left the game with injuries. Quarterback Jalen Hurts also injured his finger, but he came back into the game before Sirianni pulled the starters.
Sirianni said Brown, who suffered a knee injury, greeted each player at the locker room door following the loss. NFL Network reported Brown's ACL is intact based on the initial exam after exiting the game. If he were to miss next week's game, it would be a massive loss for the offense.
Entering the game, Brown, a Pro Bowler for the second straight season, led the team in receiving with 105 catches for 1,447 yards and seven touchdowns.
Smith, who reportedly suffered a mild ankle sprain, missed Week 18 against the Giants. He didn't practice leading up to the regular season finale and his status for the playoffs remains up in the air.
Staying on the offensive side of the ball, Jurgens left the game with an eye injury. It forced Landon Dickerson to play center once Jason Kelce left the game to rest the starters.
The Eagles' secondary continued to get even more depleted in Sunday's ugly loss.
Blankenship left the game with a groin injury and Sydney Brown left with a knee injury. The rookie safety reportedly tore his ACL, which would end his season, according to NFL Network.
Hurts, who sustained an injury to his middle finger on his right hand, said he's taking it day-by-day in regards to his availability for next week. He returned to the game before Sirianni made the call to pull the starters on Sunday.
"He came back in and played, he's tough as heck," Sirianni said. "After he got it, he came back in and ripped it, so yeah, we'll see. I haven't even talked to the trainers or medical staff, so we'll see."
Hurts said his finger "popped out" and he felt "OK" throwing the football when he returned.
"I don't like to talk about the injuries, I just want the time play out itself," Hurts said. "In the end, as a team, we have everything in front of us and it's about seizing that moment. Nothing else really matters, nothing else really matters. Nothing else of the past. Not any record, not any past wins or losses. It's just all zero-zero now and the objective is to win."
