Eagles QB lose Wentz; offense in Foles' hands

Dec 12, 2017 - 2:55 AM PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles clinched their first NFC East title in four years Sunday. But it came at a steep price.

MVP candidate Carson Wentz tore the ACL in his left knee trying to run for a touchdown late in the third quarter of the Eagles' 43-35 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Wentz got into the end zone, but a holding penalty on right tackle Lane Johnson negated the touchdown.

No one knew Wentz was hurt at the time. He actually stayed in the game for four more plays, the last one a two-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery.

His scoring pass to Jeffery was his fourth of the game and his league-leading 33rd of the season. He also broke Sonny Jurgensen's 56-year-old franchise record for touchdown passes in a season with his final throw.

Wentz walked off the field and had his knee checked by the team's medical staff. They were fairly certain he had torn the ACL. An MRI exam on Monday morning in Philadelphia confirmed their fears.

The Eagles have had several key players go out with season-ending injuries, including left tackle Jason Peters (ACL), running back Darren Sproles (ACL and fractured forearm) and middle linebacker Jordan Hicks (Achilles).

Philadelphia has weathered all of those injuries and won 11 of their first 13 games. But losing Wentz is another story.

The Eagles lead the league in scoring, averaging 31.1 points per game, and Wentz has been the main reason. He leads the league in touchdown passes. He is first in third-down passing. He has thrown 23 red-zone touchdown passes and is the only quarterback in the league without an interception or sack in the red zone.

And, oh yeah, he has 26 rushing first downs, which is the third most by a quarterback, behind only Carolina's Cam Newton and Seattle's Russell Wilson.

His replacement will be Nick Foles, who, ironically enough, was the Eagles' starting quarterback when they last won the division and made the playoffs in 2013. He led the league in passing that season under then-head coach Chip Kelly and threw 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.

Kelly traded Foles to the Rams after the 2014 season, and he spent last season as a backup in Kansas City before signing with the Eagles in the offseason.

Foles is one of the league's more experienced backups. He has 36 career starts and has thrown 56 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions. Whether he can take the Eagles deep into the playoffs, however, remains to be seen.

"We overcame (losing) a Pro-Bowl left tackle," head coach Doug Pederson said, referring to future Hall-of-Famer Peters. "We overcame (losing) our middle linebacker. We've overcome (losing) our running back. We're overcome (losing) a core special teams player (special teams captain Chris Maragos, who also tore his ACL). We've overcome losing our kicker (Caleb Sturgis).

"This is no different. Yeah, he is the quarterback of our football team. But each one of those guys I mentioned was tough to replace as well.

"The reason we went out and got Nick was for reasons like this and situations like this. I'm excited for Nick. I hate it for Carson. I hate it for the career, the season, I guess, that he's been having. But at the same time, we've taken the next-man-up mentality all year. And that's how we are approaching this."

--Nick Foles signed with the Eagles during the offseason for a couple of reasons. The first was nobody offered the then-free agent a starting opportunity. The second was he had spent the first three years of his career with the Eagles and he really liked Philadelphia and the organization. He was content being Carson Wentz's backup. But with Wentz out for the season after tearing his ACL Sunday, Foles now is the team's starting quarterback again, just as he was in 2013 when led the league in passing and threw 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.

"I'm absolutely ready," he said. "That's why I'm here."

Foles stepped in for Wentz in the fourth quarter Sunday and completed 6-of-10 passes, including a nine-yarder to slot receiver Nelson Agholor on third-and-8 with 1:45 left in the game that allowed the Eagles to squeeze all but one second off the clock.

"I want the ball in my hands, throwing the ball, making decisions," Foles said. "Coach showed a lot of confidence (letting me make that third-down throw). But I have a long history with him. He knows I can go out and play."

Pederson was the Eagles' quarterbacks coach during Foles' rookie season with the Eagles.

--Running back Jay Ajayi played 43 snaps against the Rams, which was his most in a single game since the Eagles acquired him from Miami in a trade deadline deal in November. He had 78 yards on 15 carries against the Rams and registered four of the Eagles' five rushing first downs. Ajayi's increased playing time and carries came at the expense of LeGarrette Blount, who played just 15 snaps and had just seven carries (for 12 yards).

--Cornerback Sidney Jones, the Eagles' rookie second-round pick who has been on the team's non-football injury list all season recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, will be activated and practice with the team this week. He can practice for three weeks at which point the team has to either put him on the 53-man roster or keep him on reserve for the rest of the season. Pederson said Jones was only cleared by the team's medical staff last week.

"We're to the point of just wanting to see him out there running around, doing football activities outside of the normal workouts that he's been doing," Pederson said. "Just really changing direction and doing more football work this week."

NOTES: QB Carson Wentz will miss the rest of the season after tearing his left ACL Sunday against the Rams. He will have surgery on the knee as soon as the swelling goes down. He had an MRI Monday that confirmed the tear. Head coach Doug Pederson said no other ligaments were damaged. ... QB Nick Foles, who led the league in passing in 2013 with the Eagles, will make his first start of the season Sunday against the Giants, replacing injured Carson Wentz. ... CB Sidney Jones, the team's second-round pick in April, will practice with the team this week for the first time. Jones has been recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon that he suffered before the draft. He's been on the Eagles' non-football injury list. He can practice with the team for three weeks before they have to make a decision whether to activate him or keep him on reserve. ... LG Stefen Wisniewski injured an ankle in the second quarter Sunday against the Rams. He was replaced initially by Chance Warmack and then by Isaac Seumalo. Neither was particularly effective. Head coach Doug Pederson said Monday that Wisniewski's injury isn't serious and that he should be able to at least be able to participate in the walk-through portion of practice on Wednesday. ... QB Nick Sudfeld, who initially was on the team's practice squad before being added to the 53-man roster in early November as the No. 3 quarterback, will be Nick Foles' backup going forward. Head coach Doug Pederson said the Eagles are not going to look outside for a backup.



REPORT CARD VS. RAMS

--PASSING OFFENSE: A - It wasn't Carson Wentz's most accurate afternoon, but he still managed to throw four TD passes before tearing his ACL in the third quarter. The Eagles were without Zach Ertz, but the Eagles' other two tight ends, Trey Burton and Brent Celek, combined for three TD catches.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: B-plus - The Eagles rushed for 139 yards. Jay Ajayi rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries. He had three double-digit-yard runs and four of the Eagles' five rushing first downs. Corey Clement averaged four yards per carry.

--PASS DEFENSE: B-plus - Chris Long's strip of Jared Goff midway through the fourth quarter with the Rams' leading by a point was the turning point of the game. It set up Jake Elliott's go-ahead field goal. Rams slot receiver Cooper Kupp had five catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.

--RUSH DEFENSE: C-plus - The Eagles had their problems with Todd Gurley, who had 96 yards and two rushing TDs on 13 carries. He had 30- and 21-yard runs, but the defense shut him down when they had to in the fourth quarter.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: C - The Rams' Michael Thomas slipped inside of Eagles rookie Corey Clement and blocked a Donnie Jones punt in the third quarter that former Eagle Blake Countess returned for a touchdown. Jake Elliott booted three field goals, including a go-ahead 33-yarder with 3:45 left in the game. The Eagles did a good job of shutting down the Rams' dangerous returner, Pharoh Cooper.

--COACHING: B-plus - Jim Schwartz's defense came into the game ranked No. 1 against the run, but had their problems stopping Todd Gurley, who continually was able to get to the perimeter. Doug Pederson's offense controlled the ball for more than 39 minutes and racked up 29 first downs against the Rams.