The Washington Commanders will start without defending Tackle Daron Payne for their NFC Championship confrontation with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The news about the enormous injury came on Saturday afternoon, 24 hours before the game, after he was initially considered doubtful.
Payne had not practiced all week, but hoped to be healthy enough to play a role, but that turned out not to be a feasible option for the 27-year-old.
He suffers from both knee and finger injuries, which means that the team has relegated him to be excluded on the basis of the injury report.
In his absence, Rookie Jer'zhan Newton will probably inherit a more important role in the defense.
This season, Payne has played in every match for the commanders this season and participated in all 17 games in the regular season, before playing the leading role in victories over Tampa Bay and Detroit in the play-offs.
Daron Payne will not play a role in the commanders' NFC Championship match with Philly
Then Quinn has had a remarkable first season as head coach of the commanders
The commanders are opposed to the Eagles in their first NFC Championship competition since 1991, when they defeated the Bills in Super Bowl XXVI.
If they can overcome Philadelphia on the road on Sunday, the commanders will compete against the Chiefs of Bills in the Super Bowl next month.
