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Cowboys' Trevon Diggs Won't Play Week 18 vs. Eagles Because of Illness
January 7, 2022
The Dallas Cowboys announced Friday that cornerback Trevon Diggs will not play in Saturday's regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles because of an illness.
The team also noted that running back Tony Pollard and safety Jayron Kearse will miss the game with foot and hamstring injuries, respectively.
Dallas has already clinched the NFC East, and it cannot secure No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs, as the Green Bay Packers clinched the top seed last week.
Diggs, who is the younger brother of Buffalo Bills All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, is one of the fastest-rising stars in the NFL.
After getting selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Alabama, Diggs took a big leap forward this season, leading the league in interceptions with 11 and interceptions returned for touchdowns with two. As a result, he was named to his first Pro Bowl.
The Cowboys currently own the No. 4 seed in the NFC, meaning if the playoffs started today, they would face an Arizona Cardinals team that beat them last week in the wild-card round.
A win over Philadelphia coupled with losses by the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would move the Cowboys into the No. 2 seed, likely setting the stage for a rematch with the Eagles.
The Eagles could move up from the No. 7 seed to No. 6 with a win and a San Francisco 49ers loss, but given that they will play a road game in the wild-card round regardless, it is possible Philly will look to rest as many starters as possible.
Dallas has some key players on the reserve/COVID-19 list entering Saturday's game in cornerback Anthony Brown, offensive tackle Tyron Smith and rookie linebacker sensation Micah Parsons. All of them have been ruled out for Week 18.
The Cowboys figure to be susceptible in the secondary this week with both of their starting cornerbacks out.
Without Diggs or Brown in the lineup, head coach Mike McCarthy will have to rely on Jourdan Lewis, Nahshon Wright and C.J. Goodwin.