The Philadelphia Eagles may be without tight end Zach Ertz for their Week 17 road matchup with the New York Giants.
This past Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles took part in a must-win game against the Dallas Cowboys. If Philly allowed Dallas to come away with the victory, the Cowboys would have won the division prior to either team’s Week 17 matchup. But the Eagles came through, defeating their division rivals 17-9 to keep their season alive.
Unfortunately, Philadelphia experienced a setback in the win. Tight end Zach Ertz suffered a rib injury after taking a hit from safety Xavier Woods in the first quarter. Ertz was able to come back into the game after exiting for a brief period of time. That doesn’t mean the injury is non-existent though, as it could actually put him in jeopardy for this Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants.
“He’s hurt pretty bad,” a source has claimed, per Tim McManus of ESPN.
Ertz had a huge game in the first meeting with the Giants back on Dec. 9. In a 23-17 overtime win, the veteran caught nine balls for 91 yards and two touchdowns. The latter of his two scores was the game-winner. It began what’s currently a three-game win streak for Philly.
If Ertz isn’t good to go for this Sunday, it would be huge for a Giants defensive unit that struggles against dominant tight ends.
“There is a rib that’s been affected. I still am waiting on, with our doctors, a couple more tests for some other things,” head coach Doug Pederson said of Ertz this week. “It is [a good sign that he returned to play against Dallas]. It just shows his toughness and willingness to go back out there, but as you guys know, we take every injury seriously and make sure that we protect our players.”
The Giants and Eagles will kick off at MetLife Stadium at 4:25 p.m. ET this Sunday afternoon.
