Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) is "trending toward" not playing Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, reports Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Gainwell was listed as a non-participant on back-to-back practice estimates and it sounds like the Eagles plan to hold him out on a short week. D'Andre Swift, Boston Scott, and Rashaad Penny will likely share backfield work if Gainwell is unavailable Thursday night. Gainwell was the primary back in Week 1, with 18 touches for 74 yards on a 62 percent snap share.
Swift played 28 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 1 and had 2 touches while Scott saw equal volume on a 13 percent snap share. Penny was a healthy scratch for the first game of the season, so he figures to be the third fiddle in Week 2. The Vikings’ run defense ranks 11th in numberFire’s opponent-adjusted NEP model after one game, but their pass defense is 26th, so the Eagles may find more success via their passing attack.