Eagles injury report: Unexpected Jalen Carter concern crops up amid Super Bowl prep

The Philadelphia Eagles will enter Super Bowl LIX on Sunday as slight underdogs against the back-to-back champions. It's impossible to bet against the Kansas City Chiefs right now, but if ever there was a team to take down this juggernaut, it might just be the Eagles.

On paper, Philadelphia matches up quite well. Saquon Barkley has been the most dominant offensive force in the NFL all season. The Chiefs' defense has been impossible for the likes of Josh Allen or C.J. Stroud to fully figure out, but Philadelphia's offensive calculus is entirely different than most contenders. Steve Spagnuolo will throw everything and the kitchen sink at Barkley, but the Chiefs' typical smattering of blitz packages and clever disguises might not work so effectively against Philly's grind-it-out scheme.

When Jalen Hurts does drop back to throw, he's generally trying to get the football out quickly. Hurts does struggle at times with making it through multiple progressions and delivering the football under duress, but Philadelphia's passing game tends to feed directly off of Barkley's success. If the Chiefs are selling out to stop the run, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith should find some open pockets downfield.

What really sets the Eagles apart, however, is their defense. It all starts with Jalen Carter, which is why the latest Philadelphia injury report is... less than ideal.

Jalen Carter's Super Bowl availability suddenly in question after poorly timed Eagles illness

Carter was not available to the media on Wednesday due to a reported illness. He was then a limited participant in practice.

This probably isn't a cause for panic in the Eagles fandom, but it does merit monitoring. Carter has emerged as one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the NFL as a sophomore. He finished the regular season with 4.5 sacks and 42 tackles, including 16 QB hits and two forced fumbles. A freak of nature at 6-foot-3 and 314 pounds, the former No. 9 pick can shoot through gaps in an offensive line with unrivaled quickness.

In addition to building up a steady offensive rhythm against Steve Spagnuolo's puzzling defense, the key to an Eagles victory on Sunday is keeping the three-time Super Bowl MVP in check. Patrick Mahomes tends to come alive on this stage, no matter the caliber of his supporting cast. If the Eagles can't put constant pressure on Mahomes, and thus allow him to make his progressions and establish a fruitful line of connection with Travis Kelce, Philadelphia can probably start warming up the busses for the journey home.

Philadelphia's defensive success extends far beyond Carter — this is the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL — but pressure up the gullet is essential to toppling this Chiefs offense. The less time Mahomes has to survey the field, the more success Philadelphia's stalwart defensive backfield will have against an athletic, but generally undermanned WR room.

Carter is, in many ways, the head of the snake for Vic Fangio's unit. Here's to hoping he's a full go on Sunday, and that this illness doesn't linger.