Eagles Star Misses Practice; Expected To Play Vs. Packers

WR A.J. Brown was held out of practice Thursday in the hopes of getting him as healthy as possible for the playoff matchup against Green Bay.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - Jalen Hurts was at practice for the second consecutive day Thursday, an indication that the Eagles quarterback is on the cusp of being cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol in time for Sunday's playoff game between 13-4 Philadelphia and 11-6 Green Bay.

However, Hurts' top target, receiver A.J. Brown missed the session for what will be describes as rest/knee when the status report is released layer this afternoon.

The expectation is that Brown will play against the Packers but he's obviously dealing with a knee issue that requires maintenance. The Eagles' goal is easing up on the two-time second-team All-Pro during the week is about getting him to as close to 100% as possible for game day.

Hurts, meanwhile, is on track to start for the first time since Dec. 22 at Washington. He's missed the previous two games against Dallas and the New York Giants while in the concussion protocol although the Eagles rested the majority of their key contributors in Week 19 anyway.

In minor roster news, the Eagles brought back now QB4 Ian Book to the practice squad after releasing him earlier in the week due to the expectation that Hurts will return against the Packers. To make room for Book, Philadelphia released defensive back Mekhi Garner.

Brown finished the regular season with 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing four games. The superstar wideout has gone over 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons in Philadelphia and in five of his six seasons as a pro.

It was the second consecutive day that the Eagles moved practice to Lincoln Financial Field because of the cold weather in the Philadelphia area which has frozen the fields at the NovaCare Complex.

It's also been very windy over the past two days and one interesting part of practice open to reporters Thursday was a field-goal period with kicker Jake Elliott trying to cut through the wind.

The typically reliable Elliott has missed nine kicks this season and missed from 33 yards before recovering to hit from 35 and 37.

After missing from 33, Elliott hits from 35 and 37 pic.twitter.com/bvwA9JdIHC

— Ed Kracz (@kracze) January 9, 2025

The good news is that the weather on Sunday is currently forecasted to be a little nicer, nearly 40 degrees with minimal wind.

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