The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles are seeing their playoff chances dwindling with each disappointing loss they pile up. A significant part of their struggles are due to the increasing number of injuries the team has dealt with, including a host of their cornerbacks being forced out of the mix.
According to Tim McManus of ESPN, this has pushed the team to utilize wide receivers at the cornerback position in practice this week:
The Eagles' secondary has simply been ravaged by injury. Philly has seen Ronald Darby go down for the rest of the season due to an ACL tear, while Rasul Douglas (knee, ankle), rookie Sidney Jones (hamstring), Jalen Mills (foot), and Avonte Maddox (knee, ankle) have all been unable to practice this week.
This could put the Eagles in a tough spot defensively against Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants, who have won their last two games. Beckham has 69 catches for 932 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season, and he's coming off another solid outing with four catches for 74 receiving yards and a touchdown. He recorded three touchdowns over the last two games while hauling in eight catches for 145 receiving yards.
There are still a couple of days for the Eagles to get some help in the secondary, but this will still prove to be a daunting challenge for them. It's unclear if any of these injured defensive backs will be back on the field for Week 12 action, in what will be a pivotal game that impacts their playoff chances.