Eagles Rumors: Zach Ertz 'Pushing Hard' to Play vs. Giants Despite Rib Injury

The Philadelphia Eagles may be without superstar tight end Zach Ertz on Sunday against the New York Giants with an NFC East title and playoff berth on the line.

According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network on Wednesday, however, Ertz is "pushing hard" to play with a fractured rib:

Add him to the list of key Eagles players battling injuries or out of action:

The Eagles are beat up on the offensive side of the ball. Star right tackle Lane Johnson, wideouts Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor and running back Jordan Howard have all missed recent games. Howard, at least, is expected back this week:

Jeffery is out for the season, while Jackson is a possibility to return in the second round of the playoffs if the Eagles make it that far, according to Tim McManus of ESPN.com. 

So missing Ertz would be an enormous blow for the Eagles on Sunday. Granted, other players have stepped up during the team's three-game winning streak.

Rookie running back Miles Sanders has emerged as a star in the making. Tight end Dallas Goedert was superb against the Dallas Cowboys in a must-win game this past week, catching nine passes for 91 yards and a score. Wide receiver Greg Ward Jr., who spent most of the year on the practice squad, has 15 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown over the past three weeks.

And Carson Wentz has played like a star during the winning streak, throwing for 910 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions while completing 70.6 percent of his passes. Considering his lack of weapons, his play has been all the more impressive.

Losing his favorite target in Ertz would be a blow. The one saving grace in Week 17 if Ertz can't play could be a New York Giants defense that is 26th in passing yards allowed (263.1) and 25th in passing touchdowns sacrificed (29). 

The Eagles have found a way to scrape victories with their season on the line during the past three weeks. They may need to do so again if Ertz can't go against the Giants.