EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — No Lane Johnson, no Alshon Jeffery, no DeSean Jackson, no Zach Ertz, no Brandon Brooks, no Miles Sanders, no Corey Clement, no Darren Sproles.
No problem.
Carson Wentz still found a way to get it done with a bunch of players who were on the practice squad and the bench earlier this season.
It’s nothing short of remarkable.
“I think that’s what makes it that much more special,” Wentz said. “The camaraderie and the guys buying in and believing.
“Whether that’s guys on the defensive side, offensive side. We’ve had new playmakers almost every week. Different guys stepping up because different guys are getting hurt and getting banged up. It’s just fun to see guys show up in big moments like that.”
The Eagles had 400 yards of offense on Sunday afternoon — 279 of them came from players who were on the practice squad earlier this season.
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Those are the guys Wentz played with to take down the Giants 34-17 on Sunday afternoon to clinch the NFC East and punch the Eagles’ ticket to the postseason.
And that’s what makes this so amazing.
Sure, those guys deserve plenty of credit. Don’t take anything away from Boston Scott or Greg Ward or Josh Perkins or Deontay Burnett. They played well and have made the most of their opportunities.
But this wasn’t the way the season was designed. Wentz was supposed to be throwing to Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor. He was supposed to have his Pro Bowl tight end and Pro Bowl right side of the line. He was supposed to have a two-headed running back roster of Sanders and Jordan Howard.
Wentz didn’t have any of that pretty early on Sunday. And he still completed 23 of 40 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown.
Wentz has been doing this for the last month. Check out his numbers for December: 145-of-219, 1,509 yards, 10 touchdowns, one interception, passer rating of 99.3.
And on Sunday, Wentz completed his first 16-game season since 2016 and broke the franchise’s all-time passing yards record in the process.
After his last two seasons have ended with him on the shelf, Wentz has shown that he’s pretty clutch.
“I’m just grateful,” Wentz said. “I’m grateful for my health, I’m grateful to be out here with the guys in these big meaningful games, playing into January. The last few weeks have been backs against the wall for us. Guys have responded and stepped up and kept making play after play. Just kept believing and here we are playing into January and hopefully do something special.”
If the Eagles do something special in the playoffs, it’ll likely be because of Wentz. Heck, he’s already been doing some pretty special things.
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