The Philadelphia Eagles will host the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional round on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles easily dispatched the Green Bay Packers on Wild Card weekend, intercepting quarterback Jordan Love three times. However, Philadelphia lost a key defender when Nakobe Dean was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs with a knee injury.
Dean isn’t the only Eagles player ailing ahead of Sunday’s matchup. Dallas Goedert wasn’t able to practice on Thursday due to illness, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero on X. Additionally, wideout A.J. Brown was limited as he rests a lingering knee injury.
While Goedert remained sidelined Thursday, Brown returned to practice after missing the previous session. Although he earned a limited designation, he did participate in footwork drills, demonstrating that his knee is no great concern.
Brown was an afterthought for the Eagles’ offense on Wild Card weekend. The veteran receiver saw three targets, grabbing one catch for 10 yards. Brown’s biggest highlight came from casually reading a book on the sideline during Philadelphia’s easy win.
Eagles’ TE Dallas Goedert sidelined with an illness ahead of Rams clash
Goedert, on the other hand, was very involved in the 22-10 victory. The tight end led Philly in targets with six and finished the day with four receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.
The seventh-year veteran even went viral for a brutal stiff arm on his way to the end zone. More accurately, he delivered three consecutive stiff arms, all dished out to Packers’ defensive back Carrington Valentine, who kept coming back for more and was denied each time.
Goedert missed seven games in 2024 and landed on IR with a knee injury in November. But he was able to return at the end of the regular season, getting in a tuneup game against the New York Giants in Week 18.
Although the Eagles were able to dominate a young Packers’ team in the first round, Philly faces a tougher task this weekend as the Rams appear to be coming together at the perfect time. LA brutalized Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback Sam Darnold in historic fashion, sacking the passer nine times en route to a 27-9 win.
The Eagles will have home field advantage for the Divisional round clash. However, the team hopes to be at full strength on offense against a talented and aggressive Rams defense.
