By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Last night's memorable 24-19 rivalry win over the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field comes at a cost for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Head coach Doug Pederson announced this morning that running back Ryan Mathews is expected to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back suffered during a goal line carry against New York.
"It looks like he could miss some significant time," Pederson said. "It's a pretty significant injury, probably gonna miss him the rest of the year. That's a pretty major deal."
"I don't think it's career [threatening]. What I got from our doctors this morning, it looks like surgery is in the near future. It just has to get fixed."
With the former Fresno State Bulldog out for the final game against Dallas, Pederson was asked to assess Mathews' first year as Philly's lead tailback.
"Ryan obviously got off to a good start," Pederson said. "Then there was a little bit of a lull in the middle, and then he finished up strong. These last couple of weeks he's kind of been our workhorse at the running back position. [He] did some really good things for us. This obviously is unfortunate that he can't finish the season for us."
Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz showcased tremendous elusiveness in his first divisional victory as a pro. According to Charley Cassidy of NFL Network, Wentz's mobility allowed him to evade seven sacks in a performance reminiscent of former Eagle Donovan McNabb's early years with the team, during which opponents were forced to dedicate one linebacker or safety as a quarterback spy.
"I think what you're seeing with Carson as the year has gone on is he's really let the game unfold," Pederson said. "Things are beginning to slow down for him. What I mean by that is: being able to use his legs, seeing the field a little bit differently, checking the ball down, not hanging onto the ball. That's the maturity of your quarterback, and a young quarterback. Last night, very encouraged to see him use his legs, pick up some valuable yards that kept some drives alive. Obviously he's very athletic and strong, and can break some tackles. These are things going forward that we can utilize. Utilize the strength of his, and it's just a big part of your offense whenever your quarterback can run and make plays that way."
With much of the team's future success hinging on the 23-year-old's broad shoulders, some pundits have criticized Pederson's pass-happy game plans with the rookie throwing behind an often depleted offensive line. Another concern is whether or not Wentz should be given the option to tuck and run as much as he has this season, given the injury risks associated with taking hits regularly.
ESPN reporter Sal Paolantonio recently called Pederson's handling of Wentz this season "coaching malpractice."
"You're always gonna caution against it," Pederson said. "But at the same time, I don't wanna harness it to the point where he can't be effective using his legs. There's gonna be times, protection is not always gonna be the best and you're gonna have to escape. It's like the Baltimore play where he scores inside the redzone. There was nothing there down the field, he backdoor turned it, made a safety miss and he's in the endzone. Those are things that you love to see from your quarterback, being able to pick up those valuable yards. At the same time, if you remember early in the season we were guarding against him being hit when he's out of the pocket. Get out of bounds, throw it away, slide… so those are all the things you're seeing now. That part of it is the maturity of him, and where he's come from the beginning of the season."
You can watch the full press conference from Pederson below.
