Eagles show perseverance by forging ahead after Carson Wentz's injury

LOS ANGELES – Carson Wentz wasn’t finished contributing to the cause after a knee injury forced the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback out of the huge showdown at the Coliseum on Sunday in crunch time.

When the Eagles filed into the locker room following their resilient 43-35 victory against the Los Angeles Rams, Wentz was at the door to greet his teammates.

He passed out the fresh hats commemorating the NFC East title the Eagles clinched after rallying to make up for the loss of their star quarterback, whose left knee injury – the worst fear is that it is a torn anterior cruciate ligament that will end Wentz’s season – represented the less-filling aspect of winning big.

“Carson was there waiting on everybody when they came in,” Nick Foles, Wentz’s backup, told reporters. “He was congratulating everybody, celebrating with everybody else.”

How fitting.

NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.

More:NFL playoff picture after Week 14

More:Seahawks' Quinton Jefferson tries to climb into stands after fans throw drink

Wentz, whose spectacular season put him in the conversation for NFL MVP honors, did so much to help the Eagles get to the point where they have re-established themselves as a Super Bowl favorite.

He deserves this celebration, which the Eagles – who have reclaimed the top slot in the race to claim the NFC’s No. 1 seed and home-field advantage for the playoffs – hope leads a bigger festivity down the road.

Yet the manner in which Eagles closed out the Rams exhibited something else that has suddenly become even more relevant as they brace for the possibility of making a Super Bowl run with Foles while their MVP candidate heals.

This is not a one-man team. Never was. Surely isn’t now.

Certainly, if the worst fears are realized, the Eagles will miss the Wentz magic. That was prominently displayed again in the first head-to-head matchup against Jared Goff, the quarterback chosen one slot ahead of him atop the NFL draft last year.

On his final throw of the day, he connected with Alshon Jeffery for a magnificent 2-yard touchdown – the throw, as Wentz was boxed in by rushers, was threaded into a tiny window in the middle of the end zone, which the receiver snagged about two inches from the turf before pinning it to his hip – that illustrated his value.

It was the type of play Goff couldn’t deliver when his team needed it most.

Unfortunately, the play that caused the injury was also a reminder of the gutsy nature that makes Wentz so special. He was hurt when he collided in the end zone with Mark Barron and Morgan Fox near the end of the third quarter, completing a two-yard scramble that wound up not counting as the touchdown was wiped out by a penalty.

Then again, the play counted because of the toll on Wentz.

Still, the Eagles challenged themselves to pick up the slack like the best teams are prone to do.

“I just think that people did a good job of not flinching,” said defensive end Chris Long.

Strikingly, Long and Foles are both former Rams who delivered key moments in spoiling the moment for their former team.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Long beat fill-in tackle Darrell Williams to barrel around left end and strip-sack Goff, with Rodney McLeod’s recovery setting up what was ultimately Jake Elliott’s game-winning, 33-yard field goal.

That’s what not flinching looks like.

The Rams (9-4) are the ones who flinched when it mattered most, hurting themselves with silly penalties and blown execution. With the game on the line in the final four minutes, the Rams went three-and-out, with Goff’s third-down throw over the middle to Sammy Watkins sailing wide.

No doubt, they faced a tall order against an Eagles defense, led by a dominating front that includes the presence of defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

The Rams stung Philadelphia by seizing the momentum with two quick scores early in the second half that reflected the ebb and flow of a much-hyped matchup that lived up to its billing.

Yet on a day with gut check early and more gut checks late to test mettle, the Eagles had a lot more to draw on.

“This team is a really mature team,” Cox said. “They scored 14 points in about five minutes and you didn’t see anybody on the sideline panicking about it.”

They will need that same mind-set to keep winning with Foles, who has started just one game the past two seasons (a victory against Jacksonville, while with Kansas City in 2016).

That’s life in the NFL, which has been underscored all season with the loss of so many key players across the league.

Yet no team headed for the playoffs may be better equipped to win without their starting quarterback than the Eagles.

Foles was the classic game manager in relief on Sunday. He didn’t lead the offense to the end zone and netted just 42 yards on six completions. But he set the Eagles up for two field goals. He didn’t commit a turnover. And when he really needed to make a throw while trying to kill the clock in the final two minutes, he found Nelson Agholor for a nine-yard completion on third-and-eight.

Ready or not?

“I’m absolutely ready,” Foles declared. “That’s what I’m here for.”

It still must be proven, but it would help to be supported by a great defense and the NFL’s No. 2-ranked rushing offense. But the stakes will be as high as they have been in more than a decade for Philadelphia. The Eagles haven’t earned the No. 1 seed since 2004, the last season the franchise hosted an NFC title game and the last time it advanced to the Super Bowl.

Now it could be a matter of not trying to squander the opportunity without the man who best symbolizes the franchise’s rebirth.

That could become the Eagles mission and rallying cry.

Now is surely no time to flinch.

Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.

PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 14