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Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks on the sidelines during a game against the New York Jets at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday, August 28, 2014. The Eagles won the final preseason game 37-7. Martin Griff / The Times of Trenton

(Martin Griff)

The calf injury that Eagles middle linebacker Mychal Kendricks suffered in the team's win over the Indianapolis Colts could keep him out longer than just this weekend's game against the Washington Redskins, a source close to the situation told NJ.com.

According to the source, not only is Kendricks highly unlikely to play this weekend, but the chances of him playing against San Francisco in Week 4 is also up in the air.

When speaking in the tunnel following the team's game against the Colts, Kendricks insisted that he felt fine, but as with any muscle injury, the road back has proven to be a tricky one.

Needless to say, if Kendricks were to miss two games -- and maybe even more -- it would be a huge blow to the Eagles' defense.

"I think Mychal has just been a continuation of last year’s improvement," defensive coordinator Billy Davis said on Wednesday. "I think you saw Mychal get better and better. We talk about it often with his understanding of the defense. He's been highly productive in the first two games that we've had. So I think he was on an ascent and still is. He’s ascending."

With Kendricks almost certainly out this weekend, and possibly longer, the team has had backups Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho splitting first-team reps during practice. Of the two, it is likely that Acho would get the start, since Matthews struggled against the Colts in limited action and was benched late in the game.

The Eagles have even had outside linebacker Marcus Smith move to the inside, a move that could tip the team's hand on the Kendricks injury being more serious than they are letting on.

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@nj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Sports on Facebook.