Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders has dealt with an odd year. He opened the season with 15 carries but wouldn’t reach or surpass that mark again until Week 11 (16). After re-aggravating a right ankle injury, will Sanders play in Week 15 against the Washington Football Team? And if so, what can we realistically expect?
Miles Sanders injury update
Sanders first injured his right ankle against the Raiders in Week 7. It bent the wrong way on a cutback. But luckily, reports were he avoided a high-ankle sprain, breaks, or fractures. That proved to be the case, as Sanders returned in Week 11 after a three-week stint on injured reserve. Had the injury been of the high-ankle or fracture/break variety, he presumably would’ve been out until at least after the team’s Week 14 bye.
While there has been little clarity as to the exact name and severity of Sanders’ injury, we can assume it was a Grade I/II lateral ankle sprain due to the nature of the damage and how much time he missed.
Sanders returned against the Saints and enjoyed one of his best performances of the season. He rushed 16 times for 94 yards, but he did fumble once. The Eagles RB followed that up with just 9 carries for 64 yards against the Giants, though that was a bad day at the office for the entire Philly offense. In that contest, quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered his own ankle injury, causing him to miss Week 13.
While visiting the Jets that week, Sanders popped off for a career-high 24 carries and 120 rushing yards, adding 3 catches for 22 yards to boot. However, he re-aggravated his ankle injury on his last catch and headed to the locker room before the Eagles ruled him out.
Will the Eagles RB play in Week 15?
In a postgame press conference, Sanders stated, “Everybody is dealing with stuff throughout the league. I don’t know what they’re doing for it, but I’m trying to get back each and every week no matter what happens during the game. I’m not going to let this set me back. I got a bye week, got an extra week, so get right and get ready for the next game.”
Following the Eagles’ Week 14 bye, Sanders logged two limited sessions before a full participation on Friday. Head coach Nick Sirianni said his lead RB is “trending upward.” Barring a setback, Sanders should play in a divisional battle with Washington this week.
At 6-7, the Eagles are second in the NFC East and ninth in the conference. Yet, they practically control their destiny. With four games left, they face Washington, the Giants, Washington again, and finish with the Cowboys — all NFC East opponents. If Philly can go 3-1 in the final stretch and end the season at 9-8, they have a shot at cracking the playoffs.
With Sirianni opting to pound the rock at a higher rate recently, Sanders will be pivotal to their success. In fact, Philadelphia leads the league in rushing attempts per game in 2021 (31.7 ). Furthermore, they’ve averaged 41.3 carries in their last three contests, by far the most over that span.
Washington’s COVID-19 battle
Philadelphia’s game against the Washington Football Team is one of three that the NFL has postponed in Week 15. It’s currently scheduled for Tuesday at 7 PM ET.
Washington is dealing with an outbreak, with 21 players currently on the COVID-19 list. Among the 11 starters on the list are DE Montez Sweat, DT Matt Ioannidis, and DT Jonathan Allen. Moreover, star DE Chase Young has been on injured reserve. So, the Football Team enters Week 15 without their entire starting front four — assuming no one is cleared before kickoff. AKA, Sanders should feast.