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Maclin out two weeks or more, so Eagles could turn to Curtis at WR

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles wide receiver Kevin Curtis, out since the second week of the season because of a knee injury, could return for Sunday's home game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Curtis would replace rookie Jeremy Maclin, who reinjured his left foot during last Sunday night's 45-38 victory over the New York Giants and might be out for two weeks or more.

Maclin left in the first quarter with torn tissue in the bottom of his foot. He exited Giants Stadium on crutches after the game.

"Jeremy has plantar fasciitis, and he tore one of the two strands in his foot," Eagles coach Andy Reid said Monday. "He should be OK, probably not this week, but we're hoping the following week. They say this is usually a two-week deal."

Maclin, the Eagles' first-round draft pick out of Missouri, is second on the team with 46 receptions for 623 yards and four touchdowns. He originally injured the foot during a Dec. 6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and he missed practice Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the Giants game, but he was back on the field Friday and started Sunday night.

Curtis hasn't played since he injured his knee during a Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Last week, he did practice and made the trip to Giants Stadium, but he was inactive.

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The veteran wideout said he believed he could go Sunday night. Now he might have the chance against the 49ers.

"We'll see how Kevin is," Reid said. "He really took quite a few reps, more reps than I thought he would last week. So that will be increased this week, and we'll just see how he does. If he's not right, he's not right, and we'll work from there.

"He said he felt pretty good. His legs were tired and his wind wasn't where he wants it to be, but he actually felt pretty good."

Curtis, who had surgery for a sports hernia during the offseason, caught five passes for 70 yards in the two games that he played before the knee injury.

DeSean Jackson has emerged as the Eagles' big-play threat. Jackson, also an explosive punt returner, scored his seventh and eighth touchdowns of 50 yards or more this season Sunday night, tying an NFL record shared by Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch and Devin Hester.

"I'm stating the obvious here, but DeSean is playing at a very high level," Reid said. "The thing I appreciate about him the most is he loves to play the game. He gets very excited. He doesn't care how big the game is or anything else. He just goes out and plays and enjoys doing it."

Other than Maclin, Reid listed three players with injuries after Sunday's game: tight end Brent Celek (back), defensive end Trent Cole (hamstring) and fullback Leonard Weaver (hamstring). All three are listed as day to day and should play against the 49ers.

The Eagles are on a four-game winning streak and in sole possession of first place in the NFC East after the victory over New York. The Eagles (9-4) hold a one-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys (8-5) and a two-game lead over the Giants (7-6).

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

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