Ryan Mathews

Philadelphia Eagles' Ryan Mathews' status for Sunday's game at Washington is uncertain after he left the team facility Friday with an illness. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

(Michael Perez)

UPDATE: Mathews was not listed on the injury report for Sunday's game, which the Eagles sent out just before 2 p.m. Friday. That means he's likely to play against Washington.

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Eagles running back Ryan Mathews left the NovaCare Complex on Friday morning with an illness, coach Doug Pederson said.

Pederson explained during a news conference he had just learned of Mathews' illness, so he's unsure whether it will impact the ball-carrier's status for Sunday's game against Washington. But "as of right now," Pederson said, he expects Mathews to play.

In any case, Mathews will not practice Friday. He leads the Eagles with 44 carries for 146 yards so far this season.

Mathews owns a long history of dealing with nagging injuries and only played 16 games in one of his previous six NFL seasons. He has, however, been the Birds' top back this season, despite facing some struggles.

His 3.3 yards per carry average through four games would be a career low for a season and his late fumble against the Lions last week stood as the turning point of Philadelphia's first loss.

If Mathews is unable to play Sunday, rookie Wendell Smallwood and fourth-year veteran Kenjon Barner will carry a greater load out of the backfield, Pederson said.

The team doesn't want to overuse shifty backup Darren Sproles, 33, so they can keep him fresh as a pass-catcher and punt returner.

"Those two guys, Kenjon and Wendell, become a little more important if Ryan can't go, for instance, much like you saw in the Pittsburgh game," Pederson said. "But I don't alter or change any part of the run game plan."

In last month's win over Steelers, when Matthews missed much of the final three quarters with an ankle injury, Smallwood finished with 17 carries for 79 yards. The fifth-round rookie out of West Virginia has had three total in the team's other three games combined.

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