The Washington Commanders are set to play in the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991 this weekend when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, but they'll do so without one of their best players.

Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that offensive guard Sam Cosmi, who left the Divisional playoff game against the Detroit Lions in the second quarter, suffered an ACL injury during Brian Robinson Jr.'s two-yard touchdown run and will miss the remainder of the postseason. It leaves a significant hole in the Commanders' offensive line -- one that will be magnified with a matchup with Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter in the coming days -- ahead of their biggest game in over three decades.

"Really bummed on Sam," Quinn said following the 45-31 win over the Lions. "That's a big loss for us."

Quinn and the Commanders are not going to reveal their full plans for how to replace Cosmi ahead of the conference championship. One of their options could be to use veteran Trent Scott, who stepped in for Cosmi on Saturday, as the starting guard. Scott handled himself well when called upon, and it may have been enough to prove that he can do the same against Carter and the Eagles' defensive front.

"We do rotate him some inside, and sometimes it's even on the show team if a player needs other reps," Quinn said. "Because at this time of the year, the reps are valuable."

Scott was in contention to be the team's starting left tackle in training camp before Brandon Coleman gained a firmer grasp of the position. The team has found ways to use his skill set, though, as he's played as an extra blocker in certain personnel formations. He also caught Jayden Daniels' first touchdown pass in Week 3, when he came in as an eligible receiver on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Scott previously stepped in for injured teammates against the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers -- both of which were as a tackle -- but it had been a while since he had played guard. Quinn said Scott played scout team guard during practice to get him extra reps. The last time he played the position in a live setting was in 2021 for the Carolina Panthers.

Scott did well against the Lions, though, allowing zero sacks, hits or pressures on Jayden Daniels on 19 pass plays. He ended the night with a team-high 85 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Cosmi was the only Washington player to get a higher grade on true pass block sets.

"Trent's had to step into different spots before, and that was no different tonight," Quinn said. "It does not surprise me when other guys step into that space, and Trent was the latest to do that tonight."

Washington's right guard spot has an extra wrinkle. The player at that spot also needs to communicate to center Tyler Biadasz that Daniels is ready for him to snap the ball by extending his arm out before the play.

"He didn't have a lot of work at that, so he really stepped into a significant role," Quinn said.

It isn't the first time a Commanders player must fill an essential position on short notice. Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. did it at various points of the regular season when Robinson or Austin Ekeler were ruled out. Olamide Zaccheaus took on more snaps at receiver when Noah Brown suffered a season-ending injury against the Tennessee Titans.

Quinn loves those moments because they show how well-prepared everyone on the team, from the starters to the reserves, is.

"It's really powerful as a teammate."

And the offensive line is no exception to that.

"Trent did his job," Daniels said. "But that's a credit to the O-line room and [Commanders Offensive Line Coach] Bobby [Johnson] and all those guys having everybody prepared."

The Commanders will take the week to weigh their options before Sunday's championship game. They could use Michael Deiter, primarily the team's backup center but has experience as a guard. It's less likely, but they could also bump Andrew Wylie down to guard and put Cornelius Lucas at right tackle.

Regardless of what the Commanders do to maximize the talent available, Scott has made his case that he'll be just fine if they decide to give him the start.

"I thought Trent really did a good job," Quinn said.