Rams’ Tyler Higbee was spitting blood after the win against the Vikings

When Tyler Higbee he left Los Angeles Rams Wild Card win over the Minnesota Vikings in the 2025 NFL playoffs, was initially considered questionable to return. However, the tight end suffered further complications with a chest injury, including coughing up blood, and was admitted to a nearby hospital, where he will eventually be stabilized.

Higbee began coughing up blood after the win, prompting Sean McVay to send him to the hospital, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. McVay confirmed Tuesday that he is in a stable condition and will be “okay”. Higbee has since been released and traveled back to Los Angeles.

Despite the severity of the injury, Higbee is set to play for the Rams in the divisional round. After the victory over the Vikings, Los Angeles will travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles on January 19. The Eagles are coming off an equally dominant win over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round.

The exact injury Higby suffered has yet to be released. A direct hit to the chest in the wrong place can cause that kind of reactionaccording to the Mayo Clinic.

Before he left, Higbee was in the process of putting together one of the best playoff games of his career. The nine-year veteran hauled in all five of his targets for 58 yards in the first half. He did most of the work on the Rams’ opening drive, which ended with a short pass from Matthew Stafford to Kyren Williams.

The Rams will rematch the Eagles eight weeks after the first meeting

For the first time since 2021, the Rams will advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The last time a team won a first-round game, they won Super Bowl LVI. To repeat that feat in 2024, Los Angeles will have to rematch the Eagles, who beat them handily in Week 12.

Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley dominated Chris Shula’s defense in Week 12 en route to a 37-20 victory. Barkley had 255 yards and two touchdowns in the game, averaging just under 10 yards per carry. He added 47 receiving yards through the air.

The Rams have struggled against opposing games all season, but flexed their muscles against the Vikings in the Wild Card matchup. Los Angeles allowed Aaron Jones to rush for just 48 yards without a score on 13 carries.

Regardless of the matchup, the Rams’ secondary is a concern entering the game. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon went down with an injury against Minnesota, making him questionable for the team’s next game. The secondary has struggled with health all season long behind the lead quarterback Derion Kendrick suffered a torn ACL in the preseason.

Eagles wideout AJ Brown also had a great game against the Rams in their first meeting. Brown was responsible for 109 of Jalen Hurts’ 179 passing yards, a ridiculous 61 percent of the total passing offense. Shula will certainly be at his best if Los Angeles hopes to advance to the NFC Championship.