Wild Card Round M*A*S*H Report: Key Defenders in Eagles-Bears Tilt Top Injury Headlines
Colts vs Texans:
The Colts will miss a minor piece at wide receiver, Ryan Grant. Most importantly, star receiver T.Y. Hilton is expected to play despite missing the whole week of practice—as has been the case since Week 14. The news gets batter for Indy. Center Ryan Kelly makes his return to the lineup. Running back Marlon Mack’s YPC numbers skyrocket when Kelly is blocking for him, although they will be facing one of the best run defenses. For Houston, wide receiver Keke Coutee has practiced in full all week for the first time since Week 12. With Demaryius Thomas and Will Fuller sidelined for the rest of the season, having Coutee back is huge to take some pressure off of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Seahawks vs Cowboys:
The Cowboys will miss an important piece of their offensive line. Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo is listed as „doubtful“ with ankle issues. He had performed superbly since taking over the starting job in Week 10. If he isn’t able to play, the rookie Connor Williams, who had been benched mid-season for his poor performance, will have to take his place. The news looks a little better for Seattle, which had two players injured in Week 17 against Arizona. Cornerback Shaquill Griffin did not appear on Seattle’s final injury report, so there’s no doubt that he’ll be good to go. Starting guard J.R. Sweezy, however, missed his first game all season against Arizona and will be a game-time decision for Saturday’s matinee.
Chargers vs Ravens:
L.A. is getting a lot of love from bettors. But the Chargers will be worse-off in terms of available personnel than when they lost 22-10 to Baltimore in Week 16. Linebacker Jatavis Brown has been ruled „out.“ He’s an important piece of the defense. He’s second on the team in combined tackles and also contributed some havoc. On top of that, defensive tackle Brandon Mebane is listed as ‚doubtful.‘ Mebane isn’t inflicted with any injury, but he has missed a lot of action due to a family matter. He’s being given the option to play, but it looks like he will stay with his family. L.A. allowed Baltimore to run for 159 yards against them in Week 16, so that front seven needs all the help it can find.
Baltimore’s injury situation looks immensely better. Slot cornerback Tavon Young is listed as ‚questionable,‘ though he’s expected to play because he has been playing through his injury. Guard Alex Lewis is also listed as ‚questionable,‘ but he’s been practicing fully. So he should play as well.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Eagles vs Bears
Philadelphia’s secondary has dealt with injuries all season and it’s still allowing only a 79.5 average opposing passer rating in its past three games. So it shouldn’t alarm anybody that cornerback Sidney Jones has been ruled ‚out‘ again. It would be helpful, though, if cornerback Avonte Maddox plays. He is listed as ‚questionable‘ with an oblique injury, although he did play in Week 17 against Washington. He’s second on the team with two interceptions. Tackle Jason Peters is also listed as ‚questionable.‘ He played most of the game against Washington. Defensive end Michael Bennett is another question mark. It’s expected that he’ll continue to play through his foot injury. He recorded one sack and one run stuff in Week 17.
For Chicago, the big question is safety Eddie Jackson. The Pro Bowler has two forced fumbles, six interceptions, and three defensive touchdowns. He is listed as ‚questionable‘ and will ultimately be a game-time decision. A bet on Chicago is still not make-or-break because Deon Bush has been effective in Jackson’s absence. If Jackson can’t play, Chicago’s defense will „only“ field two Pro Bowlers.
Colts vs Texans:
The Colts will miss a minor piece at wide receiver, Ryan Grant. Most importantly, star receiver T.Y. Hilton is expected to play despite missing the whole week of practice—as has been the case since Week 14. The news gets batter for Indy. Center Ryan Kelly makes his return to the lineup. Running back Marlon Mack’s YPC numbers skyrocket when Kelly is blocking for him, although they will be facing one of the best run defenses. For Houston, wide receiver Keke Coutee has practiced in full all week for the first time since Week 12. With Demaryius Thomas and Will Fuller sidelined for the rest of the season, having Coutee back is huge to take some pressure off of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Seahawks vs Cowboys:
The Cowboys will miss an important piece of their offensive line. Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo is listed as „doubtful“ with ankle issues. He had performed superbly since taking over the starting job in Week 10. If he isn’t able to play, the rookie Connor Williams, who had been benched mid-season for his poor performance, will have to take his place. The news looks a little better for Seattle, which had two players injured in Week 17 against Arizona. Cornerback Shaquill Griffin did not appear on Seattle’s final injury report, so there’s no doubt that he’ll be good to go. Starting guard J.R. Sweezy, however, missed his first game all season against Arizona and will be a game-time decision for Saturday’s matinee.
Chargers vs Ravens:
L.A. is getting a lot of love from bettors. But the Chargers will be worse-off in terms of available personnel than when they lost 22-10 to Baltimore in Week 16. Linebacker Jatavis Brown has been ruled „out.“ He’s an important piece of the defense. He’s second on the team in combined tackles and also contributed some havoc. On top of that, defensive tackle Brandon Mebane is listed as ‚doubtful.‘ Mebane isn’t inflicted with any injury, but he has missed a lot of action due to a family matter. He’s being given the option to play, but it looks like he will stay with his family. L.A. allowed Baltimore to run for 159 yards against them in Week 16, so that front seven needs all the help it can find.
Baltimore’s injury situation looks immensely better. Slot cornerback Tavon Young is listed as ‚questionable,‘ though he’s expected to play because he has been playing through his injury. Guard Alex Lewis is also listed as ‚questionable,‘ but he’s been practicing fully. So he should play as well.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
Eagles vs Bears
Philadelphia’s secondary has dealt with injuries all season and it’s still allowing only a 79.5 average opposing passer rating in its past three games. So it shouldn’t alarm anybody that cornerback Sidney Jones has been ruled ‚out‘ again. It would be helpful, though, if cornerback Avonte Maddox plays. He is listed as ‚questionable‘ with an oblique injury, although he did play in Week 17 against Washington. He’s second on the team with two interceptions. Tackle Jason Peters is also listed as ‚questionable.‘ He played most of the game against Washington. Defensive end Michael Bennett is another question mark. It’s expected that he’ll continue to play through his foot injury. He recorded one sack and one run stuff in Week 17.
For Chicago, the big question is safety Eddie Jackson. The Pro Bowler has two forced fumbles, six interceptions, and three defensive touchdowns. He is listed as ‚questionable‘ and will ultimately be a game-time decision. A bet on Chicago is still not make-or-break because Deon Bush has been effective in Jackson’s absence. If Jackson can’t play, Chicago’s defense will „only“ field two Pro Bowlers.
