Carson Wentz Delivering When Eagles Need Him Most

The quarterback saw to it that the short-handed team kept their playoff hopes alive by engineering three do-or-die victories; now comes another must-have game on Sunday

PHILADELPHIA – Carson Wentz answered questions for several minutes following the Eagles’ 17-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday then, when he was done, he leaned into the microphone and wished everyone, “Merry Christmas.”

Why not?

Wentz had just delivered the best gift Eagles fans could have hoped for, and that was win over archrival Dallas that prevented the Cowboys from clinching the NFC East title and wrestled destiny from the hands of Jerry Jones and the ’boys.

The Eagles quarterback has been delivering the goods for the past three weeks, putting together perhaps the best three-game stretch of his career and doing it in games they Eagles had to win to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Healthy for the first time since 2017, and playing meaningful NFL football in December for the first time, he has put the Eagles on his shoulders and carried them away from the proverbial wall, where the team’s back had been pinned since leaving Miami with a 5-7 record.

The Eagles and Wentz have one more hurdle to clear to win their second NFC East title, and that is to beat the New York Giants on Sunday (4:25), no easy task considering that the two teams needed overtime three weeks ago to determine a winner.

Should the Eagles be victorious, they will host the loser of Sunday night’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks on the first round of the playoffs. Should the Eagles be victorious, Wentz will likely have his fingerprints all over the outcome.

“He’s the general,” said guard Brandon Brooks. “He’s the leader of the team, man, the franchise. However he leads us is how far we’ll go. And he’s done a tremendous job of that.”

Wentz is first quarterback in NFL history with 30-plus completions and no interceptions in three straight games. He has 19 touchdowns and no interceptions in the red zone this season with a passer rating of 105.6 in those trips.

He has thrown for 3,750 yards this season, which is just 32 yards less than he threw for as a rookie, and he needs 250 yards to become the first quarterback in Eagles history to pass for at least 4,000 yards. Donovan McNabb holds the record 3,916 set in 2008.

“What is exciting for us is how he is doing it,” said head coach Doug Pederson. “When the opportunity arises, he takes the shot down the field, and when it is not, he is getting the ball out of his hand and protecting himself … but what he has done with this team, kind of putting the team on his shoulders and putting us in a position to win the NFC East is awesome for your quarterback to do.”

Over the last three games in the fourth quarter/overtime, Wentz has completed 34-of-42 attempts (81 percent) for 352 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 133.3 passer rating.

He led a fourth-quarter game-tying drive then a game-winning overtime march against the Giants on Dec. 9. Head coach Doug Pederson called it the best game of Wentz’s career after his quarterback completed 33-of-50 passes for 325 yards and two scores.

Then came another game-winning drive a week later against the Washington Redskins when he threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Greg Ward with 26 seconds left in a 37-31 win. Wentz went 30-for-43 with 266 yards and three touchdowns.

Against Dallas, Wentz didn’t need any late-game heroics thanks to a defensive effort that held the Cowboys and their top-ranked offensive unit out of the end zone and to just nine points. Still, the quarterback threw for 319 yards and one touchdown by completing 31-of-40 throws. Wentz also used his legs in the running game, really for the first time all season, tucking away the ball well enough to gain 22 yards on six carries and keep the Cowboys defense off balance.

“It seems like nothing bothers him,” said receiver Greg Ward. “He’s a great leader and a great quarterback. He’s one of the best in the NFL. When you have a player like that on your team, you can go a long way.”

It should be noted that Wentz at some point during these three must-win games has been without the three receivers that started the season in DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor, without his Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson, without the start-of-the-season number one running back in Jordan Howard, and, on Sunday, was without his top target Zach Ertz for a quarter after Ertz broke a rib, though he did return.

“The way Carson is leading this football team right now and the way he is playing … he is running the offense; he is doing the things we are asking him to do,” said Pederson. “He is playing tough, he is running, he is using his legs and all the things we know he is capable of doing.”