The Philadelphia Eagles inched closer to locking up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by improving to 11-2 with a 43-35 win over the Los Angeles Rams that clinched the NFC East.
What are the Eagles’ chances with Nick Foles at quarterback?
Nick Foles was the Eagles’ starter the last time the team was in the playoffs.
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But celebrating was tough for the team because the important victory came with a crushing, season-ending injury for quarterback Carson Wentz.
Wentz, 24, was closing in on the real possibility that he could be the first Eagles player named AP NFL MVP since Norm Van Brocklin earned the honor in 1960. Even sidelined for the last three weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising if he receives votes.
His season is over with 3,296 passing yards, and a franchise single-season record 33 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. No quarterback has more touchdowns after 14 weeks.
But now it’s up to Nick Foles to lead the Eagles into the playoffs.
Carson Wentz makes everyone else look better
What made Wentz special in 2017 wasn’t just that he was a quarterback distributing the ball and racking up numbers in an aerial attack. It’s that he had elite pocket presence that made him a danger to make a play no matter how a defense schemed against him.
The Los Angeles Rams saw it all in Philadelphia’s win Sunday.
Drop everyone into coverage, and he’d patiently sit in the pocket until a player came open. Even if they were barely open like Alshon Jeffery was for one touchdown.
Send pressure and he’d dance around the pressure while keeping his eyes up field. The Rams finished with just two sacks, despite having Wentz in their cross-hairs plenty of times.
His pocket presence and his ability to find players in tight windows made the Eagles offensive line and its wide receivers look better. And leading the league in touchdown passes certainly opened up more holes for the running backs.
Losing a starter late in a great season isn’t unprecedented
Just last year, the Oakland Raiders were the toast of the NFL and improved to 12-3 with a Week 16 win that also saw Derek Carr go down with a broken leg.
Matt McGloin started in his place in Week 17 and then Connor Cook in the playoffs when McGloin went down with an injury too. Unsurprisingly, the Raiders lost their regular season finale and then were promptly bounced from the postseason with a 27-14 loss to the Houston Texans.
The Dolphins also lost a starter when Ryan Tannehill went down in Week 13 and was replaced by Matt Moore, who led the team to two regular season wins, but a 30-12 loss in Miami’s first playoff game in eight years.
In 2015, it was AJ McCarron filling in for Andy Dalton and getting the Bengals quickly eliminated.
Recent history says the Eagles are screwed. But Doug Williams led Washington to a Super Bowl victory in 1987 despite starting just two regular season games that year, and Jeff Hostetler took over for the 1990 New York Giants when Phil Simms went down and led them to a Super Bowl, too.
Nick Foles isn’t a terrible option, though
Unlike the Raiders turning to McGloin last year, the Eagles aren’t in the worst hands with Foles taking over. The sixth-year veteran has made 36 career starts and was even the starter for the Eagles last time the team was in the playoffs.
He completed 23 of 33 passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, but it proved to be a losing effort against the New Orleans Saints who won, 26-24.
Foles isn’t Wentz, but he may not have to be to keep the Eagles rolling. The team is No. 4 in total defense and No. 2 in rushing yards. As long as he can do enough to keep teams honest and not entirely focused on stopping LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, there’s no reason why Philadelphia shouldn’t be able to hold on to one of those top seeds in the NFC.
It’s a tough day in Philadelphia now that Wentz is done for the year, but it doesn’t mean the Eagles are toast, too.
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