In the NFC East division, the Philadelphia Eagles are soaring above the rest with 9 wins and 2 losses. Being on the top, they look set for a playoff seat. But the problems are also there. Mostly related to injuries. The key figure among them is their star wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Ahead of their week 13 SNF game against the Ravens, the curiosity about his status still remains.

This season, the WR has been dealing with a hamstring injury. It flared up after the week 11 win over Commanders as he didn’t practice for the Rams matchup in week 12. But everyone is shocked as the Eagles have released their IR list for the Ravens game. And the receiver is listed as questionable. According to the NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofolo, the chances of him playing in the Sunday game are very low.

The head coach, Nick Sirianni, is still following the same ‘wait and watch’ strategy he had before the Rams game. And that’s fine. They wouldn’t want to risk their WR as the playoffs are almost a month and a half away. DeVonta Smith has made 41 receptions in 516 receiving yards with 4 touchdowns in 9 games this year. And being 9-2, there is no immediate pressure on them to win games.

The receiver also feels the same. While talking to reporters on November 29, he said, “You can play through pain and like, it can still get better, but playing through something that you’re just going to constantly make worse, it’s not a good idea.” That’s where the problem lies. But the coach deserves given credit for one thing.

He has worked hard to find the balance in the O-line that has helped their campaign. One of their players is on the verge of breaking an NFL record.

Eagles HC isn’t concerned about records amid DeVonta Smith’s struggle

While the WR is tending to his hamstring injury, their RB Brandon Aiyuk is looking at the Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of most receiving yards (2,105) in a single season in 1984. The Eagles player already has 1,392 yards in 11 games. But Nick Sirianni has other things in mind.

He revealed his stance about such scenarios on the 94WIP Morning Show on November 27 and said, “These records are cool. But you don’t think about it in advance, I don’t think that’s good business.” He compared it to the 2021 season when DeVonta Smith broke the Eagles rookie record of most receiving yards in a single season with 916 yards.

They didn’t plan it 4-5 weeks in advance. Instead, they thought about it in the week when he was really close and made some passes so that he can break the record. It’s understandable. Three years in a row, they have qualified for the playoffs, but haven’t won it once.

This year looks great for them. Performing like a unit, they have won 7 games in a row, since week 6. Can they go all the way and clinch the Super Bowl? We’ll find out soon.