The Philadelphia Eagles need to win their upcoming matchup against the New York Giants if they want to secure their ticket to the playoffs atop the NFC East. However, they may have to do so without one of their best pass-catchers in Zach Ertz.

The tight end was not supposed to participate on Tuesday practice if it wasn't for Christmas. The team also confirmed, via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP, that he will not be practicing today in order to heal his fractured rib.

Based on how things have been going for the 29-year-old so far, it's not far to off to think that he might be kept off the final game of the season in order to keep him fresh and ready for playoff action. They will face a lot of strong teams in the NFC playoffs, as the New York Giants are not what most contenders would consider a threat. As long as Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz don't mess up, the Eagles should be able to get into the playoffs.

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However, it may be risky for the Eagles to not have one of their most prolific targets on the field. He's one of the team's best in terms of overall production. Ertz has 916 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns to his name. While these numbers are definitely lower compared to his production last year, he is not one of the reasons why the Eagles still haven't secured their ticket to the playoffs.

Hopefully, Philly won't even need him on the field when they face the Giants. If the Eagles' offense does its job right, Ertz can focus on healing up and getting ready for playoff football.