Eagles Notes: Abiamiri may miss Cowboys game

Coach

Andy Reid

said yesterday that second-year defensive lineman

Victor Abiamiri

had a sprained foot and might not be ready for Sunday's game against Dallas.

"Looks like it's a mild Lisfranc sprain," Reid said. "It'll be a race for Vic to get there."

Abiamiri has been making steady progress since missing most of training camp and the first five games with a broken wrist.

In Sunday's 10-3 loss to Washington, he forced a fumble by quarterback Jason Campbell that resulted in a 5-yard loss on the Redskins' first possession. He also stopped running back Clinton Portis for no gain on third and 1, forcing the Redskins to punt on their second possession. In addition, Abiamiri had a sack.

Stewart Bradley fractured a rib against the Redskins, but Reid indicated that the middle linebacker should be ready to play. Safety Brian Dawkins has lower back spasms.

Reid said the two receivers who sat out the Washington game with injuries - Kevin Curtis (strained calf) and Hank Baskett (sprained knee ligament) - should return.

"Kevin Curtis tried to go and warm up before the game but wasn't able to do it," Reid said.

The Eagles will awaken Sunday not knowing whether the game they're about to play at Lincoln Financial Field will be the most or least important of the season.

But with the start pushed back to 4:15 p.m. on Fox29, which the NFL announced yesterday, the Eagles should know by kickoff if the game has meaning beyond the satisfaction of beating the Cowboys.

For the Eagles to make the playoffs, they must beat the Cowboys, and Tampa Bay must lose at home to 4-11 Oakland. Also, the Birds need either Chicago or Minnesota to lose a game. (One of the two will win the NFC North.)

The Bears, who beat the Packers last night, finish at Houston on Sunday. The Vikings are at home against the New York Giants.

The games involving Tampa Bay, Chicago and Minnesota begin at 1 p.m.

Reid said he'd rather not know the outcomes of the other games before his team takes the field.

"But that's probably not realistic in this age of technology," he said. "I said this before: You can't worry about all the different things you can't control. You just have to go play - that's the important thing."

Reid said

Reggie Brown

was supposed to run into the end zone on the final play of the Redskins game. Instead, the wide receiver stopped short of the end zone and made a nice catch, but was halted less than a foot from the goal line.

"We tell the receivers to make sure they are in the end zone in those situations," Reid said. "We want to make sure there is no question."

There were 12 seconds left and the Eagles were on Washington's 18-yard line when the play started. But the Eagles had wasted a time-out at the start of the second half and couldn't stop the clock after Brown made the catch.

The play was reviewed by the officials, and it was clear Brown didn't break the plane of the goal line.