Everything's coming up Philly.
They certainly didn't make it look easy, but the Eagles managed to escape Sunday afternoon's NFC Divisional round game against the Rams with a win. Saquon Barkely and Jalen Carter were a two-man wrecking crew, Nick Sirianni managed to not bungle things too often, and a little well-timed snow helped the Eagles advance to their second NFC Championship in three years.
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And despite plenty of postgame celebrations, the lingering concern about cornerback Quinyon Mitchell was hard to ignore. Mitchell left the game after a collision with Rams' quarterback Matt Stafford early in the first half and didn't return, as the team ruled him out for the afternoon with what they were calling a shoulder injury.
Considering how pivotal Mitchell's been to Philly's defense this season, losing him for the NFC Championship game would have been a brutal turn of events. The good news for the Eagles (and their fans' sanity) is that, according to reports out of Philly's locker room, Mitchell dodged the worst-case scenario. In fact, it sounds like the Eagles are “hopeful and optimistic” that he'll play next Sunday in the NFC Championship game.
Eagles are hopeful that Quinyon Mitchell can play in NFC Championship next weekend
Just spoke to Quinyon Mitchell in the locker room, who was in good spirits. He said he's "fine" after his shoulder injury. When I asked him if he had any long-term concern, he said, "No, I'm going to be good."
— Olivia Reiner (@ReinerOlivia) January 19, 2025
Hard to beat that source! Considering how bad the injury looked in the moment – and the fact that he, you know, missed basically 90% of the game – it's a little surprising to hear that the injury isn't considered to be serious. But of all the injury news/surprises that Eagles' fans could have had to deal with after the win, this is about as good as they could expect.
It goes without saying that Mitchell being available against a Washington offense that's firing on all cylinders next week is just about the best case scenario. He's been a revelation for the Eagles' defense during his rookie year, ranking 32 overall (PFF) among all NFL corners and playing over 950 snaps (22nd most in the NFL for cornerbacks).