Eagles standout right tackle Lane Johnson may have been absent from practice this week with a lingering groin injury, but he made clear that he intends to be on the field in next Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Johnson did not practice Wednesday through Friday, according to Philadelphia’s injury report, and has not been given a game status just yet. However, he revealed that his groin is much less sore than it was when he first returned to action in the Eagles divisional-round game against the Giants.
“It’s better now,” Johnson said, per the Delaware County Daily Times. “That first game was going to be a challenge. And honestly that second game was a challenge. But the first game, for me, personally was a challenge. . . . The [Giants] game for me was hard, really hard, because I wasn’t sure I could play. But after that initial contact, I was good. I had better confidence in the second round.”
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Johnson, a 2022 first-team All-Pro, did not play in Philadelphia’s final two regular season games with the injury but has since managed to return to play in both of the team’s playoff outings. The Eagles beat the Giants and then routed the 49ers in the NFC championship game to advance to Super Bowl LVII, where they will face the Chiefs.
Johnson, who will most likely need surgery once the season comes to a close, acknowledged that he will be in some pain when he takes the field in Glendale, Ariz. next Sunday. However, he appears ready to push through the discomfort to try and help deliver the Eagles the Lombardi Trophy.
“It is what it is,” Johnson said, “but it is not bothering me to the extent it was earlier.”
