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Eagles' Mikell credits Akers for playing despite off-field battle

Eagles safety Quintin Mikell told *Philadelphia Sports Daily* that Pro Bowl kicker David Akers, who missed two game-altering field-goal tries in Sunday's 21-16 wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers, endured off-the-field issues in the days leading up to the game.

"I don't want to put him out there, but he's been going through a lot this week," Mikell said. "He has some stuff going on. And for him to even be out here was big. He fought through a lot today and this week."

Akers, who made a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter, missed kicks of 41 and 34 yards down the stretch.

"He was dealing with a lot of stuff this week, and he came out, he fought and he did as well as he could," Mikell said. "I'll let everybody else talk about it, but he was going through a lot this week."

Philadelphia Sports Daily stated that Akers is dealing with "a family health issue," according to a source close to the situation.

Akers, who told reporters after the game that he might have played his last game in an Eagles uniform, made no excuse for his performance.

"I just don't want to hurt (this team)," Akers said. "Any opportunity I go out there, I want to do well for them. I really feel bad for my teammates, coaches, the organization and all that."

"We can all count, and those points would have helped," said Eagles coach Andy Reid, who defended his decision to attempt a field goal on fourth-and-1 from Green Bay's 16 and trailing by 11 points.

"You kick it and it's an eight-point game," Reid told reporters. "The right thing to do is kick it. (Akers) is a Pro Bowl kicker, so I'm thinking he's going to make it."

Note:Eagles versatile wide receiver and return man DeSean Jackson told *The Times Herald* that he is confident the team will adjust the remainder of his one-year contract to reflect his productivity. "I think they will in the offseason," Jackson said. "So we'll see how that goes. I'm very confident that the right things will happen here. I'm happy here. I love playing in Philadelphia. Hopefully we can continue to make this last."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.