Eagles Suffer Massive Blow Before Ravens Game

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The Philadelphia Eagles defense is down one less weapon against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13 at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Eagles officially ruled out cornerback Darius Slay vs. Baltimore due to a concussion. He originally suffered the injury in Philadelphia's 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
In his fifth season with the Eagles, Slay has played in 10 games while posting 32 total tackles (26 solo), one forced fumble and eight pass breakups. During his first four years with Philadelphia, Slay had nine interceptions and two touchdowns but will be 34 years old on Jan. 1. He underwent midseason knee surgery last year and was carted off in Philadelphia's playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The news of his status vs. Baltimore comes after the Eagles lost veteran defensive end Brandon Graham for the season with a torn tricep against the Rams. He announced during the offseason that this year would be his last in the NFL.
"Can't say enough good things about BG," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said, per the team website. "I think you guys have asked me this a couple of times, just everybody in every workplace needs a Brandon Graham. His energy is contagious. If you're having a bad day, and you get around him, he can turn your day positive. Obviously, the player speaks for itself and the play on the field. He's having a great year, just can't say enough about him as a leader, as a captain, as a teammate," Sirianni said.
Without Graham and Slay, the Eagles will be without two key veterans in a game between two Super Bowl contenders. This could prove to be an advantage for a Ravens offense that's averaging the most yards per game (426.7) this season.
The Eagles and Ravens will kick off from Baltimore at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7