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PHILADELPHIA – Halfback Jay Ajayi was placed on the injured list on Monday, which was a severe blow to the offensive, which struggled to score points in the first five games of the season.
Ajayi tore his ACL Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, said a source to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Defending champion Philadelphia (2-3) was hit hard by offensive skill wounds.
Receivers Mike Wallace (fractured leg) and Mack Hollins (groin) were placed in the casualty reserve earlier in the season, while midfielders Darren Sproles (hamstring) and Corey Clement (quadriceps) were unable to remain. in the field.
Ajayi, who is in a contract year, suffered a transverse back fracture, which was inflicted on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second week.
The Eagles struggled to score points even with Ajayi in the lineup, scoring less than 24 goals in each of their first five games. That comes a year after scoring more than 24 points in 12 games last season, the highest number tied in the NFL.
Coach Doug Pederson played four significant games in the first half of Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Ajayi, who finished with eight runs for 29 yards and an expensive fumble near the Vikings' goal line on Sunday, underlined the post-match importance of the run establishment.
"Obviously we want to be able to throw the ball early and start at the beginning of the game. If I remember correctly, maybe we had three spans at the end of the first quarter," he told reporters.
"With the offensive line we have in this team, running the ball like that does not make sense to me."
The coaching staff must now understand how to distribute the Ajayi snapshots. Sproles and Clement do not seem far off a return – Clement was active Sunday but did not play – and the Eagles also have Wendell Smallwood and rookie Josh Adams on the roster. It will take a collective effort, and perhaps some outside help, to fill the void.
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