Philadelphia Eagles hit with illness just days before Super Bowl LII

Image: Doug Pederson is a victim of the flu bug that has hit the Philadelphia Eagles

Health concerns are hitting the Philadelphia Eagles, with multiple key defenders battling flu-like symptoms ahead of their appearance at Super Bowl LII.

The illness hit the locker room last week before the team left Philadelphia, with multiple players and head coach Doug Pederson falling ill.

It comes at a terrible time for the Eagles, who play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

Image: Tim Jernigan missed Wednesday's practice due to illness

One of the players to succumb to the bug is linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who said: "I'm getting over it right now. It's like a cold, dude. I don't know. The whole team has it, though.

"I don't think it had anything to do with us being out here (Minneapolis, where temperatures are subzero). I think it started sometime last week. Something we've got to get through. We'll be fine. It's not that big of a deal."

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Two more key defensive players - tackle Tim Jernigan and cornerback Ronald Darby - were ill enough on Thursday that they didn't participate in media availability with the rest of the roster at Mall of America.

Jernigan did not practice on Wednesday due to illness. He also missed the Eagles' final practice in Philadelphia last week.

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Image: Tom Brady's New England Patriots play the Eagles in Super Bowl LII on Sunday

"That time of year. No one's dying," Kendricks said. "It's all good."

Pederson said he has fully recovered and described Jernigan's illness as a "24-hour deal" in Wednesday's pool report following practice at the University of Minnesota indoor facility.

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