Wentz is the only Eagle listed as out for Sunday
And then there PHILADELPHIA was one.
The only player listed out on the Eagles’ injury list distributed Friday was quarterback Carson Wentz. He’s healing that stress fracture in his back.
The Eagles listed the rest of the walking wounded as questionable for their divisional playoff Sunday (4:40 p.m., Fox) against the Saints at the Superdome in New Orleans.
That group consists of linebacker D.J. Alexander (hamstring), defensive end Michael Bennett (foot), wide receiver Shelton Gibson (hamstring), cornerback Sidney Jones (hamstring), offensive tackle Jason Peters (quadriceps) and wide >> receiver Mike Wallace (ankle).
Bennett, Gibson, Peters, Wallace and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (ribs) all were limited in practice.
Wide receiver Golden Tate (knee) was a full participant,
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The Saints listed only receiver Simmie Cobbs (knee) as out.
The five starting offensive linemen all practiced and, as the Eagles anticipated, weren’t listed questionable or doubtful.
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Doug Pederson said Tate’s route and winning touchdown catch against the Bears wasn’t “a kill,” as the receiver suggested during an NFL Films segment.
“We actually went straight to the kill,” Pederson said. “That was the huddle call. We bypassed everything else and went right to that and because we had run the same play previously, it was loud and everything was going on, so he just didn’t hear the whole thing. It just shows to us and to everybody what type of athlete, what type of player he is, that he can still stay in the moment, not panic, see the quarterback coming to you and know that that’s his route and then to execute the play.”
••• Speaking of plays, almost lost in that sideline-to-sideline crossing route by Tate to produce the winning points was the sidearm throw around leaping Bears defensive end Leonard Floyd.
Not to mention the block— or at least part of a block — by 5-6,
190-pound running back Darren Sproles on Floyd. Sproles got just enough of Floyd (6-4, 251) to make it work. And he avoided what would have been a costly penalty for an illegal block.
Ultimately Nick Foles sidearmed a two-yard pass to Tate on fourth-and-goal.
“I was supposed to cut him,” Sproles said of Floyd. “But Lane (Johnson) had a hand on him and you can’t cut him or it’s a penalty. I just tried to stop him a little bit. It didn’t work out the way I wanted. But it worked.”
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NOTES >> No Wild Card team with fewer than 10 victories has won a Super Bowl. The Eagles (9-7), Chargers (12-4), and Cowboys (10-6) are still alive … The Wild Card victory for the Eagles was worth $27,000 a man. A victory this week adds another $29,000 to the winnings. The conference championship is worth
$54,000 to the winners. If the Eagles secure their second straight Super Bowl, the total playoff share would be $228,000 per man.
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