Going Deep
On Sunday, the Eagles clinched the NFC East title, the first division crown for the Birds since 2013, and yet, happiness eludes the city of Philadelphia.
As the Birds stood on the field, celebrating their hard-fought victory, the thoughts of the fans drifted to the bowels of the Los Angeles Coliseum where Carson Wentz sat on a table in the training room as the Eagles' medical staff pored over the quarterback's knee.
It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but with the young quarterback possibly sidelined for the rest of the season, the celebration was subdued and overshadowed by the potential loss of an MVP candidate.
Wentz isn't just an MVP candidate or a franchise quarterback. He is the savior brought to Philadelphia from up above (North Dakota). The next 15 years of Philadelphia Eagles football hinges on Wentz's performance. Doug Pederson's and Howie Roseman's job security relies on if Wentz can remain healthy and win football games.
With the NFC East now wrapped up, it's time for the Eagles to turn their attention to securing a first-round bye in the playoffs and the number-one seed in the NFC. With a one-game lead, the Eagles need just two more wins to lock everything up. They still have to travel to MetLife Stadium for a meeting with the Giants next week before returning home to face the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.
None of those games are terribly difficult and, barring any sort of collapse, the Birds will probably end up as the conference's top team heading into the playoffs. That's the good. The bad: they will have to win a pair of games with a backup quarterback to reach Minneapolis and Super Bowl LII.
The Eagles have dealt with a litany of injuries this season. Their middle linebacker is done for the year. Their Pro Bowl running back has been gone since Week 3 and they lost their Hall of Fame left tackle a month ago. But Pederson's squad has still pressed on to a division title and the best record in the NFC.
That "next man up" mentality has been a huge part of the Eagles success in 2017. Now it's Nick Foles's turn to try to fill Wentz's shoes and lead the Eagles into the playoffs.
Injury Report
Barring any sort of medical miracle, it seems like we will learn Wentz has torn his ACL and will be out for the remainder of 2017. In the past 10 years, six different starting quarterbacks have torn their ACL. Here's how their careers have turned out since their injury:
Tom Brady: Brady tore his ACL in the opening week of the 2008 season and hasn't missed a beat since coming back the next season. Brady has been named to eight-straight Pro Bowls and won a pair of championships.
Robert Griffin III: If Brady is the best-case scenario, RG3 is probably the worst. After setting the league on fire in 2012, Griffin's injury zapped him of his world-class athleticism and he was never able to recover. He was benched in Washington and eventually flamed out in Cleveland as well.
Sam Bradford: Bradford tore his ACL in back-to-back seasons before coming to the Eagles. The former number-one-overall pick has never been able to really shake off his injuries as he's landed on the injured reserve with knee troubles again this season. It's hard to imagine him being in the NFL next season.
Carson Palmer: Palmer tore his ACL for the second time in his career in 2014, but he rebounded in 2015 with the best season of his career. However, since then, Palmer has put together a pair of sub-par campaigns and has landed on the IR again this season with a broken arm.
Teddy Bridgewater: Bridgewater's injury was probably much more severe than Wentz's as the Vikings quarterback has yet to return to the field since his injury during last season's training camp.
Joe Flacco: Flacco tore his ACL near the end of 2015 and he has yet to fully rebound as the last two seasons may have been his worst since his rookie year.
So it's certainly a mixed bag of results, and outside of Brady, none of the other quarterbacks have really played at a high level since their injury. Granted, ACL surgery and recovery is a rather routine process nowadays, but it would be foolish to assume Wentz will easily return to form by next season.
Measurables
33: Three plays after hurting his knee, Wentz tossed his 33rd touchdown pass of the season, breaking the Eagles single-season franchise record set by Sonny Jurgenson in 1961. It seemed like Wentz would smash this record to smithereens and finish the season with more than 40 touchdown passes, but that dream went up in smoke when he limped off the field in the second half on Sunday.
6: Yesterday's victory was just the sixth in franchise history in which the Eagles allowed 35 points and still won. Only once since 1990 had the Eagles won a game under such circumstances, a 2009 contest against the New York Giants. Despite allowing 38 points, the Birds trailed just once in the game and came out with a 45-38 victory behind Donovan McNabb's two touchdown passes and a rushing TD by Michael Vick.
32%: Despite boasting the fifth-best rushing attack in the NFL and playing most of the game in the lead, the Eagles ran the ball on just 32 percent of their offensive snaps. That's not an ideal ratio, but with Wentz's injury, expect it to change dramatically.
Turning Point
Trailing by one in the fourth quarter, the Eagles defense had been shredded for a pair of touchdowns in the second half and desperately needed a stop. Chris Long stepped up and strip-sacked Jared Goff:
The ball was picked up by Rodney McLeod and on the ensuing drive, Jake Elliott knocked home a field goal to give the Eagles a decisive two-point lead.
Up Down Drill
Up: Torrey Smith
Smith had been awful during the past two months, but he reemerged as a weapon on Sunday, picking up 100 receiving yards on six catches. It's hard to imagine Smith remaining an Eagle after this season, but Foles will need as many weapons as possible to be successful in the coming weeks.
Down: Isaac Seumalo
Seumalo found himself at left guard after Stefen Wisniewski injured his ankle in the first half and Chance Warmack was ineffective. Seumalo wasn't much better and struggled all afternoon. To be fair, he was often matched up against Aaron Donald, but if Wisniewski is not ready to go by next week, the Eagles could struggle to protect Foles.
Up: Fletcher Cox
Even though the Eagles defense struggled for three quarters, Cox was still a monster. He ended a drive by hitting Goff's arm on a third and short and forcing an incompletion. Cox finished the afternoon with three quarterback hits and four total tackles.
Down: Jalen Mills
The Eagles were absolutely burned by Rams rookie Cooper Kupp and Mills was his primary defender for most of the day. The second-year player struggled all afternoon and also was called for a pass interference penalty on a third down.
Three-Step Drop
1. Foles isn't exactly an inspiring quarterback, but the Eagles could be in much worse hands. Foles is a proven veteran who has won games in the NFL. He put together the greatest quarterbacking performance in NFL history and sports a career record of 20-16. Will he carry the Eagles into the playoffs? Probably not, but he has an elite running game and defense to help him.
2. Sports talk radio will be filled with clamor for the Eagles to add a quarterback to their roster such as Colin Kaepernick or even Tony Romo. Perhaps if this was earlier in the season, that would be a viable option, but with just three weeks until the playoffs, and possibly four until the Eagles first playoff game, I can't see a quarterback getting comfortable with this offense in that short of a time frame. For better or worse, this is Foles's team now.
3. The Eagles defense got absolutely lit up for three quarters, but give credit to Jim Schwartz's group, they stepped up when the game hung in the balance. After Todd Gurley's touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles didn't allow a single yard and just one first down due to penalty. The Rams final three drives: fumble, punt, fumble.
Who's Next
The Eagles return to the east coast, but they will travel to New Jersey to face off against the imploding New York Giants. After a pair of hard-fought games, this should be a rather easy contest, even with a backup quarterback.
