Carson Wentz suffers torn ACL against Rams in win

Carson Wentz left the field with a left knee injury toward the end of the third quarter of Eagles vs. Rams. He was replaced by backup Nick Foles. On Monday, we learned that Wentz tore his ACL.

The Eagles placed him on injured reserve on Tuesday. His season is now officially over.

On Monday, Wentz posted a video to fans, saying it was a “rough, rough day” but promising he’d “come back stronger than ever.”

It was similar sentiment to what he tweeted after Sunday’s game.

Here’s how the injury happened.

Wentz took a low hit to both sides of his legs at the same time while he ran into the end zone. The touchdown was called back for a holding penalty on right tackle Lane Johnson.

Wentz stayed in the game. He handed it off twice to running back Corey Clement, who got the Eagles to the Rams’ 3-yard line. On fourth down, Wentz threw this 2-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery.

Jeffery made an improbable catch, but Wentz was very much still in the pocket on this play and didn’t move his feet much at all.

He was able to walk to the locker room under his own power. But Erin Andrews reported on the CBS broadcast that as she was standing near the locker room, all of the Eagles’ support staff “just walked out shaking their heads.”

The touchdown gave the Eagles a 31-28 lead. The Rams didn’t let that stand for long, and answered with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Todd Gurley for the fourth lead change of the game.

Wentz went 23-of-41 for 291 yards, four touchdowns, and one pick before his injury. The Eagles won, 43-35.

What does this mean for the Eagles?

It’s potentially devastating. The Eagles hold the top spot in the NFC and clinched the NFC East with a win over the Rams, but their road ahead is a lot more challenging with Foles.

Wentz’s play had landed his name firmly in the MVP discussion in his second season. This year, he threw for 3,296 yards with 33 touchdowns against just seven interceptions and helped the Eagles vault to the top of the league in scoring.

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It changes their playbook if Wentz is out too. His ability to run outside the pocket has been an important part of their game plans, so without him, it takes those plays off the table.

Foles is a definite downgrade. He lacks Wentz’s mobility and awareness to extend plays with his legs. The Eagles can rely more heavily on the NFL’s second-ranked ground attack, which is averaging 143 yards per game. They can also lean on their top-five defense.

If there’s a bright spot, it’s that the Eagles don’t have the toughest schedule the rest of the way. They face the Giants, Raiders, and Cowboys. Only the 7-6 Cowboys have a winning record.

The Eagles guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. But Wentz’s injury is still a terrible blow to a team that has looked like a Super Bowl contender throughout the season.

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