Ever since the Philadelphia Eagles lost quarterback Carson Wentz to a season-ending ACL injury, the team simply hasn't been the same. The leading NFL MVP candidate had the team firing on all cylinders and receiving buzz as arguably the best team in the league before going down against the Los Angeles Rams.
With Wentz out for the rest of the season, the team has turned to veteran quarterback Nick Foles to shoulder the load under center. Although a formidable replacement, Foles is dealing with the predictable ups and downs of replacing an MVP candidate with the Eagles offense not as potent as it once was with Wentz.
In Week 16's matchup against the Oakland Raiders, the Eagles struggled to get back to form. Oakland had their opportunities to shut the door on Philadelphia but was never able to and Eagles head coach Doug Pederson talked about the game that ultimately clinched the team home-field advantage, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Article Continues Below“We found a way to win,” Pederson told reporters after the game. “That’s the bottom line. We found a way to win. I’d love to win 40-3 or 34-28, but sometimes you’re going to be in these games. We got to be hard on ourselves as coaches and players looking at this film, moving forward, and get things fixed offensively. I thought the defense played really, really well. They kept us in the football game, special teams. [It was a] team effort, though. [We] found a way. [We are] sitting here today 13-2. Everybody’s got to come through here now. That’s the exciting part.”
With a home-field advantage clinched, the team's attention turns to the postseason and trying to get this offense on track before they go head-to-head against one of the NFC's elite in the playoffs.
The Eagles are still expected to be a serious force to be reckoned with in the postseason without Wentz, but they're by no means thought to have an easy path to the Super Bowl. The NFC is up for grabs with the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and the Los Angeles Rams all in the running.
The Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons hope to get the last playoff spot in the in the conference. Falcons have the edge as all they need to do is come out on top in Week 16 against the Panthers to clinch the final spot. Seahawks, however, need a win over the Arizona Cardinals and for Atlanta to lose to Carolina.