Foles it is with Wentz out in must-win game against Rams
Even the injury report has been a struggle in this train wreck of a season for the Eagles.
In a span of 24 hours, the defending Super Bowl champions very publicly and awkwardly listed Carson Wentz as questionable, doubtful and finally out of action for their Sunday night game against the Los Angeles Rams (8:20 p.m., NBC, WIP 94.1FM) at the Coliseum. All without Wentz participating in a practice. With a stress injury to his back, it’s unlikely he plays the rest of the way for the Eagles (6-7), who have a faint playoff pulse.
Not that it mattered who played quarterback to Wade Phillips, the 71-year-old defensive coordinator of the Rams (11-2), a team that looks like it could be headed to Super Bowl LIII. With defensive player of the year favorite Aaron Donald coming up the A gaps, look for backup Nick Foles to find out how Leonidas felt when he and those 300 Spartans were surrounded at Thermopylae in the Greek and Persian wars.
The Eagles clinched a playoff berth last year at the Coliseum with Foles taking over when Wentz blew out his right knee. Defensive end Brandon Graham thundered 16 yards with a fumble forced by Nigel Bradham then leaped into the seats to put the exclamation point on a 43-35 victory.
“I could feel that we had something special,” Graham said. “I didn’t know we were winning a Super Bowl but I knew we were going to the playoffs. It was Summary: Nick Foles is a capable backup quarterback. But this game will get out of control before he works up a good sweat. Even with Carson Wentz, who won’t play due to an injury, the Eagles just don’t matchup with the Rams.
The pick: Make it Rams 33, Eagles 19.
nice. It just happened. I was just hyped and I could see the crowd going crazy so I jumped in there with them.”
The Eagles of the present are riddled with injuries almost everywhere. They have a 7 percent probability of gaining a playoff berth, most likely the sixth seed, according to PlayoffStatus.com. They cannot be totally eliminated this weekend. What a difference a year makes.
“Obviously we’re not as popular of a team right now,” defensive end Chris Long said. “But I feel like we’re just as capable of competing with really good teams. And we’re going to have to play our best game. It is what it is. That’s going to be a biggame atmosphere. Those guys have earned that atmosphere every week. They’ve been consistent. They’ve been great all year. And it will be a lot of fun.”
Except for a 48-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles at least have given themselves a chance to win the rest of their games.
The Rams know how it feels to be beaten in the Superdome, having surrendered a 45-35 decision there this season. That outcome makes this game more important, for the Rams are battling the Saints (11-2) for the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Eagles, on the other hand, are at the point where a victory against a good team would be something to build on. Stopping Todd Gurley, who leads the league with 19 touchdowns, is where it begins for the defense. The run game sets up Jared Goff’s playaction passing.
The Rams like to run tempo, although nothing as frantic as the NFL days of Chip Kelly. It makes substituting difficult and helps create assignment busts — not that the Eagles are able to do a lot of subbing with their shorthanded roster.
Foles at least gives the Eagles hope. He earned MVP of the Super Bowl for a reason. Not many guys play well enough to win a shootout with Tom Brady, who was so devastated that he didn’t shake Foles’ hand afterward.
“You don’t want to have a big drop-off from a guy like Carson,” Graham said. “Carson’s a hell of a player. And Nick’s a hell of a player. I’ve been on both sides of it where Nick’s struggled and Nick’s blazing. All we’ve got to do is keep it together. And he’s a leader in his own right, too. And I think he’s going to do a great job leading the offense — if that’s the case.
“We can’t lose any more games. The Rams, that would be a great confidence boost. They’re the second seed right now.”
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Zach Ertz needs two receptions to become the first Eagles player, and the fourth NFL tight end in history, to reach 100 in a season.
Look for a creative celebration if he gets into the end zone on the landmark grab, although the veteran insists, “Three and oh, that’s all I care about.”
Three wins and the Eagles would have a shot at a playoff berth, although that’s easier said than done.
The Rams are 14-point favorites over the Eagles.
The Eagles then would host the Houston Texans, who are 10-4 with victories in 10 of their last 11 games.
“Honestly during the games, I have no idea how many catches I have,” Ertz said. “I just try to take it drive by drive, series by series. It would be cool, yeah, but something that I’d look at more in the offseason.
“And I’ve got to get better, still.” Ertz is 13 catches from breaking Jason Witten’s single-season mark of 110 receptions by a tight end, set in 2012. The Cowboys were 8-8 that season.