Don’t forget about Carson Wentz’s MVP-caliber season for the Eagles

Nick Foles stepped up when Carson Wentz went down with a torn ACL in Week 14, and he led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl win in franchise history on Sunday. The spotlight is on Foles for now, and rightfully so.

But don’t let Foles’ outstanding turn as the Eagles’ next man up overshadow what Wentz did for the Eagles this season.

Wentz was the only player who had a realistic shot to win NFL MVP over Tom Brady before his injury. Over just 13 games, he threw for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns against just seven picks. He added almost 300 yards on the ground. And the Eagles went 11-2 and averaged 31.6 points per game, which would have put them at the top of the league this season, with Wentz behind center.

Still, he was an afterthought for his teammates after the win.

“It meant a lot, but Nick Foles… He’s done this before at a really high level,” tight end Trey Burton said when asked about the impact Wentz had on the game from the sideline. “He’s one of the best out there, man.”

Zach Ertz echoed Burton’s faith in Foles.

“People panicked when Carson (Wentz) went down,” Ertz said. “Nick, we had all the confidence in the world in him. He’s a fantastic human, fantastic player.”

Wentz was so good this year that when Foles stepped in, everyone automatically counted the Eagles out.

Foles got it done. But let’s take a look back at Wentz’s second season and everything he did to get the Eagles their first Lombardi Trophy.

Wentz’s poise under pressure and his ability to create plays with an entire defense closing in on him set him apart this season.

We saw it in the Eagles’ 34-24 win over Washington in Week 7. Washington’s defense swarmed Wentz on a third-and-8, and it looked like a sack was inevitable.

Then Wentz busted out and ran right up the middle for a 17-yard gain and a first down. Wentz threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns against just one pick in the Eagles’ win despite losing left tackle Jason Peters to injury and taking three sacks. He added 63 yards on the ground, which was his best showing of the season.

It does help that the Eagles put so much talent around Wentz. The additions of LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi gave the Eagles the third-ranked rushing attack in the league this year and bringing in Alshon Jeffery upgraded Wentz’s receiving talent dramatically.

But Wentz still had to make the throws, like this one to Ertz against the Panthers in Week 6.

Wentz threw for three touchdowns against Carolina, including this 17-yarder barely one minute into the second half of the Eagles’ 28-23 win over the Panthers.

Wentz averaged 253.5 yards per game when he was healthy last season. If he’d kept that up, he would have finished the year ranked in the top 10 in the league despite having the support of such a strong run game.

Wentz is actually at his best when the pass rush is bearing down on him, and he particularly shined against Washington this season. In the Eagles’ Week 1 win over the NFC East rival, pressure was closing in.

Wentz didn’t just escape it. He rolled out of the pocket to the left, then rolled back to his right, then runs up the middle and somehow hits Nelson Agholor for a 58-yard score in the first quarter.

That play was the first score of the game, and it set the tone for the Eagles’ 30-17 victory. It also was a glimpse of what Wentz was capable of doing for the Eagles this year.

After the game, Wentz was understandably emotional. That could have been him knocking off the Patriots’ dynasty instead of Foles.

But no matter what mixed feelings Wentz may have had about the Super Bowl, he was nothing but supportive of his teammates.

Foles did more than enough to get the Eagles to this point after Wentz went down, and he deserves all the credit for that. He absolutely dismantled the top defense in the league, the Vikings, in the NFC Championship game. Then he did what only Eli Manning had been able to pull off to that point: Beat the Patriots in a Super Bowl.

But there’s every reason to believe that Wentz could have gotten those wins, too, based on how he played until his injury.

Some quarterback-needy team should be willing to pay Foles all kinds of money this offseason. The Eagles should be willing to let him go, because Wentz is the Eagles’ quarterback of the future. Jeffery knows it.

“You know who is throwing the ball. (QB) Carson (Wentz), of course,” Jeffery said after Super Bowl LII when he was asked whether Foles or Wentz will start next season.

And Wentz should. The Eagles wouldn’t have gotten here without Wentz. Head coach Doug Pederson told him as much after the game.

If Wentz keeps playing like he did in 2017, he can also take the Eagles all the way.