The Philadelphia Eagles are in the playoffs after defeating the New York Giants to secure the NFC East division. They’ll make this playoff run without the services of Brandon Brooks, as the All-Pro has been ruled out of the postseason with a dislocated shoulder.
Brooks will have surgery in the near future and make a clean recovery.
With the Eagles being forced to push on without him, here are four takeaways from the news that he’ll be out.
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1. Eagles are losing the best in NFL
Brooks will miss the entire postseason and that’s a huge loss for the Eagles who’ll now be without the best right guard and arguably the most consistent linemen in all of football. Per Pro Football Focus, Brooks owns a pass-blocking grade of 85.7 that ranks second among all right guards, while his 91.6 run-blocking grade is higher than any other interior offensive lineman and second in the NFL to only Lane Johnson.
2. Eagles O-Line tends to crumble without Brooks in the lineup
Brooks is the Eagles’ most consistent performer and the dropoff is noticeable when he’s not in the lineup. Jason Kelce had this to say about Brooks after the Eagles win on Sunday.
“It’s a pretty frustrating deal. Obviously, Brandon, the importance of him, not just as a player but what he brings to the team – he’s an incredible guy,” center Jason Kelce said via The Inquirer. “He’s really made our offensive line take another step forward. Probably the most consistent guy we have upfront. That’s a big loss. Hopefully, it’s nothing too crazy.
“He just brings so much – the power, the intelligence. He’s a complete player.”
3. Who replaces Brooks?
The Eagles have other options at the right guard position with Brooks out for the postseason. Matt Pryor replaced Brooks against the Giants and played well, while right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai is also versatile enough to slide over to guard. He’s currently filling in for Lane Johnson at right tackle.
4. Carson Wentz will shoulder more of the load
Wentz has been amazing the season and started all 16 games. Now he’ll be forced to make quicker reads, get rid of the ball and be efficient with his decision making. The Eagles can offset the loss of Brooks but Wentz will need to dazzle on Sunday.
