Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith says he will play in his team’s Christmas Day matchup with the New York Giants in spite of a knee injury.
“You know me — I’ll be good,” Smith, via Josh Tolentino of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ll be out there.”
Smith was a limited participant in Saturday’s practice after not practicing at all the rest of the week. He suffered the knee injury during the Eagles’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks this past Monday. He logged five catches for 50 yards in the defeat.
On the season overall, Smith has caught 74 passes for 957 yards and six touchdowns.
Smith, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by Philadelphia with the 10th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He has not missed a game since entering the league.
The 25-year-old enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign, finishing with 64 catches for 916 yards and five scores. Then, last year, Smith broke out, hauling in 95 receptions for 1,196 yards while reaching the end zone seven times.
Along with A.J. Brown, Smith is one half of one of the most explosive wide receiver tandems in football, so having him on the field this coming Monday will be huge for a struggling Philly offense.
DeVonta Smith and the Eagles have lost three games in a row. They were blown out by the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in Weeks 13 and 14, respectively, before surrendering a fourth-quarter lead to the Seahawks earlier this week.
Philadelphia was once 10-1 and looked primed to return to the Super Bowl, but the defending NFC champions are now 10-4 and sit in second place in the NFC East. The Eagles have already clinched a playoff berth, but they are aiming to win their second straight division title.
After facing the Giants on Christmas, Philadelphia will then take on the Arizona Cardinals before battling New York again to conclude the regular season.
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