The Philadelphia Eagles took not one, but two big hits on the injury front in the first half of a Wild Card playoff matchup against the Packers on Sunday. Both cornerback Darius Slay and linebacker Nakobe Dean were taken to the locker room in the second quarter.
Slay was taken back to be checked out for a left elbow injury with around six minutes remaining before halftime. Not long after that, Dean landed awkwardly and was seen riding a cart back to the locker room.
Dean has already been ruled out for the remainder of the game, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It was reported on the FOX broadcast to be a knee injury.
It’s a major loss for Philadelphia, as Dean ranks second on the team with 128 total tackles and also has three sacks. They’ll now have to look for others to step up and fill the void left behind by his absence.
Thankfully, it wasn’t all bad news for the Eagles as Slay was cleared to return. He already has one interception and three tackles on the afternoon and will look to continue making an impact.
Philadelphia currently holds a 10-0 lead with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter and will look to hang on without Nakobe Dean, but know it at least has Darius Slay back.
Philadelphia wasn’t the only team to deal with injuries Sunday. The Green Bay Packers have ruled out defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt and offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins for the remainer of the game.
Wyatt is out with a lower leg injury, while a shoulder injury is keeping Jenkins sidelined.
Both injuries occurred in the first half — a disastrous one at that for the Packers. Green Bay turned the ball over three times with quarterback Jordan Love throwing two interceptions. The Packers need a much stronger effort in the second half, but it will have to come without Wyatt and Jenkins — two key players on their respective sides of the ball.
On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.