Looking to Wentz
Eagles QB Carson Wentz will try to pick up the slack created by a pair of serious injuries
During his next act, Carson Wentz might be pressed to offset some major injuries.
No, it’s not all on the Philadelphia Eagles’ wondrous, secondyear quarterback to make up for season-ending injuries to left tackle Jason Peters and middle linebacker Jordan Hicks, developments that took some luster off of Philly’s thrashing of Washington on Monday night.
But Wentz — creating so much magic with his remarkable escapes and a powerful arm that leads the NFL with 17 touchdown passes — is the best symbol for his team’s chances to keep their train moving. The Eagles (6-1) still have the NFL’s best record and a quarterback emerging as a serious MVP candidate.
Keep piling up the points and perhaps Wentz lessens the sting of the latest setbacks.
“If you’re still scoring and winning games, then if that’s masking an injury, I guess so,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson grudgingly acknowledged.
He knows.
“It’s going to take everybody,” Pederson added. “It’s all hands on deck.”
On a night when Wentz provided a stunning highlight by popping out of a collapsed pocket for a 17-yard scramble, the images of Hicks being helped to the sideline with what was later revealed as a torn right Achilles tendon and of Peters laying on the turf with torn right knee liga- ments were just as essential in capturing the state of the Eagles.
In Peters’ case — he tore anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments — it was also striking that nearly the entire team ran over to the cart that would take the nine-time Pro Bowler from the field, an ultimate sign of respect. It’s one thing to lose Wentz’s blindside protector. But on top of that, the Eagles lost one of their most revered locker room leaders.
“To the guys,” fellow tackle Lane Johnson said, “he’s a pillar in our building.”
Wentz marveled when considering Peters’ actions as he was wheeled off: He provided a few quick pointers for his replacement, Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
“He was just trying to coach and just help us find a way to win,” Wentz said of the fallen co-captain.
Add the Eagles’ latest challenges to significant injuries impacting teams across the NFL. The Green Bay Packers are trying to stay in range until Aaron Rodgers might possibly return in December. The Houston Texans not only lost star defensive end J.J. Watt for the season, but underrated linebacker Whitney Mercilus is done of the year, too.
Odell Beckham Jr. Julian Edelman. Eric Berry. It’s a who’s who collection, floored amid the NFL’s annual war of attrition.
The Eagles have already endured some blows, including the loss of running back/returner Darren Sproles for the season. And Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks and Ronald Darby are among the frontline players who have missed time. That’s life in the NFL.
But the Eagles pride themselves on being resilient.
“Somehow, we’ve been able to continue to focus on what we can control, and that’s getting guys prepared,” safety Malcolm Jenkins said.
That obviously needs to continue. There is no trophy coming for making it to the halfway mark with the best record in the NFL. Just more tests.
While their lead in the NFC East looks commanding at the moment, the Eagles still have to play the defending division champion Dallas Cowboys twice. And a three-game road swing in December begins at Seattle, followed by a trip to Los Angeles to face the revitalized Rams.
There’s plenty of football left, plenty of time to prove their identity.
“Last year, we were 4-2 and only won three games after that,” Jenkins noted. “The way momentum swings in this league, it’s too hard to look past anybody.”
Next up: The winless San Francisco 49ers. Clearly staying grounded and humble, as Jenkins put it, will bode well for this team.
Yet the Eagles also need their most important player, Wentz, to avoid a drop-off. The great quarterbacks have a knack for elevating the game of players around them.
Now, fair or not, that’s part of Wentz’s challenge to help his team roll amid fresh adversity.