Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter has sparked concerns over his health before the Super Bowl by missing his media availability on Wednesday due to illness.
At the very least, it's a minor cause for concern for the Eagles before they face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in New Orleans.
Carter is a central part of the Eagles defense and if he is anything other than fully healthy to compete, it would be a massive blow to Nick Sirianni's team.
The Eagles will have more details on Carter's wellbeing later on Wednesday when they release the report from practice. But the rest of his Eagles team appeared at the open session looking ahead to Sunday's showdown.
The 23-year-old is in his second season with the Eagles but has already established himself as one of Sirianni's key men.
Speaking on Monday night after his team's arrival in Louisiana, Carter was in bullish spirits about facing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Jalen Carter is battling an illness that was severe enough for him to miss media on Wednesday
The 23-year-old Carter is in his second season with the Eagles but is already a key man
'If we do that or get him off his game, I think we’re going to have a good game.
'I’m very confident. Coach Vic (Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio) got us here and I’m pretty sure he’s going to finish us off right.'
The Chiefs also have a clean bill of health at present ahead of a game where they can enter the NFL history books with a win.
Mahomes and his men would become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three straight titles with a victory over the Eagles on Sunday.
For Carter and his team, victory would be just their Super Bowl title in history.
The game also represents a chance at revenge for the Eagles - they were beaten by the Chiefs in 2023 in the Super Bowl, a victory for Kansas City that started their run at the three-peat.
The Chiefs and Eagles did not meet this time around in the regular season. The last time they played, Travis Kelce faced his older brother Jason for what proved to be the final time of their careers.
The Eagles won that day at Arrowhead Stadium, beating the Chiefs 21-17.
