The Eagles defense was a mixed bag on their first drive of the game, but they were able to force the Vikings to kick a field goal thanks to a botched third-down snap and Azeez Ojulari chasing down the fumble.
Shortly after that, however, Ojulari ended up heading in to the locker room and was listed as questionable to return due to an ankle injury.
The Eagles’ edge rusher position is already so depleted that there are talks that Brandon Graham could come out of retirement just to add some depth — and that he could sign with the team as early as Monday — and losing Ojulari would create an even bigger issue.
During pre-game warmups, the defense was already playing around with formations that had rookie Jihaad Campbell on the edge, with Nakobe Dean back on the inside with Zack Baun. Eagles’ DC Vic Fangio had been hesitant to make that move earlier in the season because of Campbell’s inexperience, but acknowledged it was something they were considering due to injuries and roster makeup.
Hopefully Ojulari isn’t out long term, and the Eagles won’t have yet another linebacker to try and replace this season.
