Eagles could see Zach Ertz miss playoffs if team advances
By Dan Parzych
Even if the team wins in NFC East to claim the NFC East title, the Philadelphia Eagles could see Zach Ertz miss the playoffs.
No one needs to explain just how frustrating it will be for the Philadelphia Eagles to be playing Sunday’s game against the New York Giants without Zach Ertz, and it looks like Doug Pederson‘s may have to adjust to playing without their star if the team wins the NFC East.
It was one thing for Ertz to return last weekend after suffering a rib injury in the first half to help the Eagles defeat the Dallas Cowboys, but seeing the tight end pop up this week on the injury report with a back injury as well seemed to be the icing on the cake.
Most likely, Ertz would have suited up for Sunday’s meeting with the Giants if it were only a rib injury, but since the back is just as much of a concern, Philadelphia is making the right choice in playing it safe by resting their star tight end.
But to top the frustration off, if Philadelphia does come through in Week 17 to defeat their rivals, chances are that Ertz would miss the playoffs, although the main focus for the Eagles at the moment is making sure they punch their ticket first.
The #Eagles won’t have TE Zach Ertz today, but he has not been ruled out for next week if Philly advances. Ertz is not only dealing with a cracked rib, but sources say he suffered a lacerated kidney that had him in the hospital after the game. That explains the caution this week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 29, 2019
Still, as exciting as it may be to see the Eagles not officially ruling Ertz out for the playoffs, just the seriousness of the injury makes it seem like Philadelphia will eventually ruled him out for the long run.
To say Philadelphia has been one of the biggest victims of the injury bug on offense this season would be a huge understatement since they were already playing without their top three receivers before Ertz went down in Week 16.
What the Eagles have been able to accomplish over the last few weeks with limited options in the passing game has been truly incredible to witness, but hopefully if they do end up winning the NFC East, Ertz’s absence will motivate others to step up even more on offense.
Otherwise, Philadelphia could find it more difficult to advance to the Divisional Round if given the opportunity since the Seattle Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers will be a tough task, no matter what.