It wasn’t that long ago that Devonta Freeman said he “figured out” how to stay healthy. But according to ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, the Atlanta Falcons running back was far from healthy during the playoffs. Freeman confessed he played with a sprained posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee during the postseason.

Freeman suffered the injury in a Week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers and had been listed on the Falcons' injury report due to a knee issue ahead of both playoff games.

After going for 66 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown in the win against the Los Angeles Rams during the wild card round, Freeman had just seven yards on 10 carries against the Eagles after in the Falcons’ 15-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. But despite playing with those injuries, Freeman refused to make them an excuse for his poor play in Philly.

“It was tough, but the game was on the line,” Freeman said. “It was really more like a PCL, and I really started feeling stuff on my PCL. But that's no excuse. You know what I mean? You just have to play.”

Even with the Falcons getting very little from their Pro Bowl back, they still had a chance to beat the Eagles on the road in the final seconds. Unfortunately, their fourth-and-goal play fell just short.

Freeman is still unsure as to whether those injuries will require offseason surgery. Although, he is certain the team can use the disappointment of losing to the Eagles to their advantage in terms of getting back to Super Bowl contention next season.

“We can grow from this, definitely,” Freeman said. “We finished, what, two years in a row [losing] in the Super Bowl and the second round of the playoffs. Now it's just important to figure out ways to finish, stay healthy.”