PHOENIX, Arizona (AFP) — Arizona Cardinals tight end Stephen Spach will miss the remainder of the National Football League playoffs after suffering a torn right anterior cruciate knee ligament injury.
The Cardinals won their only NFL crown in 1947, defeating Philadelphia in the title game, and it will be the Eagles blocking their path again on Sunday when they host the National Conference final for a berth in Super Bowl 43.
The Arizona-Philadelphia winner will face either Pittsburgh or Baltimore in the NFL championship spectacle on February 1 at Tampa, Florida.
Spach, who signed with the Cardinals in late October, was injured in Arizona's 33-13 romp at Carolina last Saturday and his loss will remove a favorite target for 37-year-old quarterback Kurt Warner.
Leonard Pope is expected to replace Spach in the starting lineup.
With the loss of Spach, the Cardinals have even stronger hopes that receiver Anquan Boldin, who sat out Saturday with a strained hamstring, will be back on the field to face the Eagles.
"I want to get out there for a couple days and get a couple of practices under my belt before I step out on the game field," Boldin said.
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