Jacob Sisneros
2 min read • January 18, 2023
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Offense: All eyes are on the health of quarterback Jalen Hurts, but the Eagles have picked up injuries at three other key spots in the last few weeks.
Stud right tackle Lane Johnson is rehabbing an abdominal injury, but is expected play against the New York Giants. Typically this type of injury requires surgery, but Johnson will delay the surgery until the offseason while playing through the pain.
Defense: Slot cornerback Avonte Maddox missed Week 17 with a turf toe injury but will likely be available in the playoffs.
The top seeded Eagles are also thin at defensive end after the neck injury to Josh Sweat. He should be available against the Giants.
Veteran defensive end Robert Quinn underwent a knee scope a month ago and is back on the active roster.
He and C.J. Gardner-Johnson are big additions to a defense that ranked eighth in points allowed and first in passing yards allowed per game. Gardner-Johnson missed the previous 5 games with a lacerated kidney.
Overview: Generally healthy heading into the playoffs, Hurts’ shoulder should not be a concern. Lane Johnson and the defensive line depth are the main issues to watch.
Offense, SIC score 91.1: After their injury misadventures over the last five years, any game that the 49ers win and escape without suffering an injury is a minor miracle, and the Brock Purdy-led powerhouse escaped unscathed and showed its potential with a fully-loaded smorgasbord of versatile weapons.
No. 3 wide receiver Jauan Jennings suffered an ankle injury and is day-to-day, but the injury isn’t considered significant and he was the only starter to go down on Saturday.
Deebo Samuel, SIC score 93, and Elijah Mitchell, SIC score 92, each had a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter of the Wild Card win and shouldn’t be impacted in their returns from MCL and/or high-ankle sprains.
The 27-year-old wideback led the 49ers with 165 total yards on nine touches vs. the Seahawks and in last January’s 23-17 playoff win over the Cowboys, Samuel had 10 rushes for 72 yards and the game-sealing touchdown.
Since Purdy took over in Week 13, on top of their seven-game winning streak, the rookie gunslinger has 16 touchdowns against three interceptions and the 49ers’ offense has scored 34.6 points per game, albeit against a slew of defenses much less revered than the Cowboys.
Dallas’s defense was eighth in passing yards allowed (200.9), fifth in scoring (20.1), third in sacks (54), and first in the NFL with 33 takeaways.
Defense, SIC score 90.4: The 49ers’ defense continued its second-half dominance against the Seahawks, forcing two turnovers, one three-and-out, and six points on a DK Metcalf touchdown with 1:48 left in the 41-23 win.
Top defensive linemen Arik Armstead, SIC score 90, and Javon Kinlaw, SIC score 88, each missed much of the season with lingering issues, but the duo played half of the defensive snaps in the Wild Card win and combined to log one sack and two TFL.
The added defensive line depth continues to help the scrapped-together secondary, SIC score 89.2, which has recovered well from the losses of two starting cornerbacks behind contributions of safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. and second-year cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who shadowed DK Metcalf for much of the contest.
Dre Greenlaw briefly left due to a lower leg injury but returned and made a team-high 11 tackles and defensive end Samson Ebukam suffered an ankle injury
Overview: Third-string rookie quarterback Brock Purdy will have the full complement of offensive weapons and a red-hot and healthy defense, but will QB injuries turn out to be the 49ers’ undoing?
Offense, SIC score 84.1: Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley combined for 187 all-purpose yards on 17 Jones rushes and 14 Barkley touches against the Vikings, but the eight-catch, 105-yard, one-score performance from Isaiah Hodgins gave the Giants a much-needed third weapon.
Since losing their top three receivers by Week 11, the trio of Hodgins, Darius Slayton, and Richie James have traded off WR1 duties for the Giants’ passing offense, SIC score 79.
That will likely be influenced by the way New York positions its receivers, as Philadelphia No. 3 cornerback Avonte Maddox is unlikely to play with the toe injury that kept him out of the last two games. His absence could expose depth issues in the stout Eagles’ secondary, which is relying on inexperienced defensive backs Reed Blankenship, Josiah Scott, Zach McPherson, and Josh Jobe to play high-leverage snaps.
Defense, SIC score 86.4: Pass-rusher Azeez Ojulari (thigh bruise) and defensive backs Adoree’ Jackson (back) and Jason Pinnock (abdominal bruise) all practiced on Tuesday after suffering injuries in their contested Wild Card win and head coach Brian Daboll was reportedly optimistic with all of their statuses.
Jackson and safety Xavier McKinney both missed the second half of the regular season but returned vs. the Vikings to log seven and eight tackles, respectively.
Ojulari, meanwhile, was limited to five-plus games in the regular season but had 5.5 sacks, seven QB hits, and three forced fumbles working next to the loaded unit featuring Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, and Jihad Ward.
The defensive front held the Vikings to 61 rushing yards and got enough pressure on Cousins to force a short throw on 4th-and-8 to clinch the win.
Overview: The Giants will need a strong performance from the front-seven and from one of Slayton, Hodgins, James, or Toney to breach a sturdy Eagles’ team that may have weaknesses at right tackle and slot cornerback.
Offense: Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a mild hyperextension against the Titans last in Week 17, But luckily for Cowboys fans, Prescott hasn't has any setbacks. Now Prescott’s offensive line is the bigger problem. After losing right tackle Terrance Steele, who had a 73.9 PFF grade, to an ACL tear the team’s offensive line has struggled. Since Steele went down, the team hasn’t had a player rush over 80 yards. Center Tyler Biadasz returned a right high-ankle sprain, but registered a 31.6 PFF pass blocking grade. Left tackle Jason Peters didn't return leaving the game in the second quarter with a hip injury. His injury seems like it won't keep him out next week.
Defense: Cowboys' starting safety Jayron Kearse didn't return with a left knee injury that initially left him unable to put any weight on his left leg. Kearse appeared to suffer a mild MCL sprain when teammate Anthony Barr fell into his leg and bent it inwards, according to the Pro Football Docs. Nevertheless, the Cowboys' biggest problem is the injuries in their cornerback room. Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis are both out for the season. This has caused rookie cornerback Daron Bland and sophomore hybrid cornerback-safety Israel Mukuamu to step up. Bland had fared well, tying second in the NFL with interceptions with five. Mukuamu played 24 snaps in coverage from the slot against TB, and he allowed two receptions for 16 yards. Lastly, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch returned from a neck injury.
Overview: The Cowboys' offensive line problems have been stabilized with the return of Tyler Biadasz, but strong safety Jayron Kearse went down with a mild MCL sprain in the win over the Buccaneers. If Kearse can't play, it will add to the problems in the secondary, which is already down the No. 2 and No. 3 cornerback.
Written by Jacob Sisneros
