The Philadelphia Eagles are on a short week as they play the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. They picked up their first loss against the Denver Broncos last week but are looking to quickly turn the corner.
While they look to bounce back, they'll have to do so without Jalen Carter. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Carter is inactive for the game against the New York Giants. And that was the right choice with your star defender.
Jalen Carter Is Inactive for Eagles vs. Giants on TNF
Carter was a late addition to the injury report on Wednesday with a heel injury. There's no real indication of when he suffered that injury, but one can assume that it happened during a practice. This is the second injury he's dealing with, as Carter was nursing a shoulder injury earlier this season.
While it's never ideal that your young player will miss time, this was the correct decision. Playing on a short week is never easy, especially for a player who popped up with an injury one day before the clash. Another big reason why this was the smart call is that the Eagles are playing at MetLife Stadium.
That field isn't liked by many players around the league, as many people have suffered season-ending injuries playing on that turf. The most recent example is Giants WR Malik Nabers, who tore his ACL at MetLife in Week 4 against the Los Angeles.
Considering that Carter is already dealing with a lower-body injury, keeping him off that field is wise. During pregame, Carter had a brief talk with Clint Hurtt, Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman, and trainers before quickly returning to the locker room without even warming up, according to Dave Zangaro of NBCSPhilly.
The Eagles, of course, would love to have Carter out there, but they don't need him to come out with a win over the Giants. Over the last 10 years, Philadelphia has won 16 of 20 games versus New York.
Giving Carter about 10 days off before Philadelphia's Week 7 contest against the Minnesota Vikings will give him a better shot of being more rested compared to if he played on Thursday Night. With the Georgia product sidelined, it'll give more reps to Moro Ojomo, Byron Young, and Jordan Davis.
Although this wasn't the report fans wanted to see before kickoff, the Eagles are playing the long game. And that's the right call.