Eagles Deal With Massive Injury Setback Before Week 6 vs. Giants

For the second time this season, the Philadelphia Eagles will be playing without arguably their best defensive player.

NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter popped up on the inactives list for the Eagles just ahead of their Thursday Night Football road game against the New York Giants.

“Eagles DT Jalen Carter, who was added to the injury report Wednesday due to a heel injury, is inactive for tonight’s game against the Giants,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on October 9.

Carter famously missed the season opener for the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles when he spit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott just 6 seconds into the game — before the first offensive snap was even taken — and was ejected.

The NFL fined Carter a whopping $57,222 for the incident.

Carter, a 2023 first round pick (No. 9 overall) was dominant in his second season with the Eagles but has gotten off to a relatively slow start in 2025 with zero sacks through his first 4 games.

No Carter Could Spell Problems for Eagles

As one of the NFL’s most popular and talented young players, Carter’s absence was quickly noticed by Eagles fans and NFL fans alike ahead of the NFC East showdown — a game that comes just one week after the Eagles blew a fourth quarter lead against the Denver Broncos in Week 5 to fall to 4-1.

“No Jalen Carter is significant,” ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan wrote on his official X account. “Best player on the Eagles defense.”

“If Jalen Carter is out, that could mean that we’ll see a career-high in regular season snaps for Ty Robinson and Gabe Hall tonight,” The Philly Special’s Anthony DiBona wrote. “Robinson has never played more than two snaps. Hall has never played more than five snaps.”

“Jalen Carter clearly isn’t playing up to his level from last year, but he also flashed a lot more early on,” Bleeding Green’s Jonny Page wrote on his official X account on October 7 following the loss to the Broncos. “He played 67 (!) snaps this week, and it’s hard not to think that workload is taking a toll. Look at him beat the double team here and make a really athletic tackle.

Carter Regarded as Generational Talent

If Carter can get out of his own way, he could be a generational talent for the Eagles and in the NFL — and he could land one of the biggest paydays for a defensive player in NFL history as he’s eligible for his first contract extension following this season.

ESPN put Carter as the NFL’s No. 3 defensive tackle in its preseason position rankings as voted on by a group of coaches, scouts and executives.

Carter was ranked as high as No. 1 by several executives and no lower than No. 4. He was an honorable mention pick in the 2024 preseason rankings.

One thing that speaks to Carter actually being the most valuable player on the list is that, at 24 years old, he’s a full 3 years younger than anyone else in the Top 10.

“A year ago, evaluators around the league projected big things for Carter, who had already shown a knack for beating top-shelf offensive guards at the line,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 8. “He validated that faith with All-Pro second-team honors, a Pro Bowl nod and a Super Bowl ring. Carter’s 4.5 sacks and 8.8% pass rush win rate are not gaudy, but he’s the classic need-to-see-him-in-person player.”

LeBron James haters are stuck on unreal stat Lakers fans are laughing at

Statistical anomalies do happen. With LeBron James at the epicenter of one of those instances, his haters have been enjoying a field day. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Lakers fans are relentlessly laughing at their expense.

Jason Timpf pointed out what is going on and why it is so silly on a recent episode of Hoops Tonight. Numbers can be a great resource in the NBA to tell a story. However, the lack of added context here was creating a narrative that was far from the truth about who James is at this point of his career.

Timpf said, "The stat is real. ... The Lakers were 6.9 points per 100 possessions worse this year with LeBron on the floor versus off. ... It's a statistical outlier. ... He was on the floor most of the time."

Timpf pointed out that every other season of James' career involved him being a positive for his team. His minutes and lineup irregularities led to this year's number. It just simply is not representative of who LeBron is as a player, even at this late stage of his career.

LeBron James' ridiculous longevity has doubters grasping for straws

It can definitely be tough to accept someone heading into their 23rd season in the league as a top 10 player in the NBA. That statement, though, remains as true as it did over 20 years ago. James is still one of the elite superstars playing the sport of basketball.

Timpf pointed out the James was forced to anchor a lot of the Lakers' worst lineups. No one should be unfamiliar with how lackluster the depth in Los Angeles proved to be throughout the 2024-25 NBA season.

With those units performing poorly, James' numbers were dragged down. LeBron may have been able to carry some truly horrid units to success throughout the peak years of his career. At this stage, it is understandable why the Lakers superstar would have some added difficulty with that task.

Some will think that is all the proof that is needed of James' fall from grace. That is a stretch through any lens that one views it from, apart from that of pure hatred and disdain for the man.

What was real in 2024-25 was LeBron averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. That led to an All-NBA Second Team selection and some MVP consideration.

James still posted 7.7 win shares and .152 win shares per-48 minutes in 2024-25. That came with a value over replacement player of 4.7. The thought of James being done as an impactful superstar in the NBA is simply ludicrous.

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