Skip to content
Sports
Link copied to clipboard

For Wentz, the dream scenario...and the nightmare

PHILADELPHIA, November 22, 2020 – Carson Wentz's 18-yard third-down scramble late in the fourth quarter kept alive a late drive capped off by a 13-yard touchdown strike to veteran tight end Zach Ertz in the back of the end zone, and the Philadelphia Eagles knocked off previously unbeaten Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams, 31-27, in yet another matchup between the top two picks of the 2016 NFL draft.

In pushing the Eagles ahead of Dallas into sole possession of the NFC East at 9-2, Wentz ran his record to 4-0 against Goff, who threw for 250 yards but was picked off once and sacked five times by the Eagles' top-ranked defense.   

Wentz, the Super Bowl MVP, also threw for a pair of touchdowns and pushed across another on a fourth-down sneak as time expired in the first half, a play he audibled after noting a mix-up by the Rams in assembling their goal-line personnel. ``I don't know how he noticed that with the few seconds we still had,'' said Eagles head coach Doug Pederson. ``Just when I think I've seen him do everything, he surprises me.''

PHILADELPHIA, November 22, 2020 – The Los Angeles Rams defense ran back three interceptions for touchdowns en route to a 37-0 drubbing of the winless and hapless Philadelphia Eagles in front of a sold-out and salty Lincoln Financial Stadium crowd.

Hurriedly signed following this week's arrest of backup quarterback Johnny Manziel and forced into action when starter Chase Daniel could not return to the field in the first quarter, Nick Foles was greeted harshly by the Rams' defense, which also sacked him six times, forced two fumbles, and received two unsportsmanlike penalties for taunting him.

``Honestly, I just told him I was surprised he was still in the league,'' said Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Picked up last week, Foles was forced to play in place of the starter, Daniel, who came down with flu-like symptoms after he was sacked three times amid the Eagles' first six plays from scrimmage. 

``We have to fix some things,'' said head coach Donovan McNabb, who is in his first season after his stunning hire last spring by Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie.

Seeking to reinvent the ``Gold Standard'' era of two decades ago when McNabb was his quarterback, Lurie also brought back former General Manager and Team President Joe Banner, who has said his first order of business in the upcoming draft will be identifying and drafting ``a franchise quarterback."

The Eagles have already drafted two players who fit that description over the last four seasons, jettisoning starter Sam Bradford in the process. Bradford has been to the Super Bowl with the Cowboys twice since then, winning once and losing last season to Goff and the champion Rams…