Immediately after throwing his Philadelphia single-season franchise record 33rd touchdown pass, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz walked to the medical tent. Shortly afterward, he headed to the locker room and was ruled out with a left knee injury. He had an MRI on Monday, and the worst fears were confirmed: Wentz tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
Wentz appeared to suffer the injury a few plays earlier, when he scrambled on first-and-goal from the Rams’ 2-yard line and dove into the end zone. Though the play was called back for holding on Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, Wentz took a shot to his knee.
On the two plays following the hit, Wentz handed the ball off and appeared to walk with a limp. He threw an incompletion on third down before finding Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery for a touchdown on a play where Wentz barely moved his feet in the pocket.
He left the game with 23 completions on 41 attempts for 291 yards with four touchdowns and one interception and a 31-28 lead. Wentz leads the league in touchdown passes and touchdown percentage.
The second-year quarterback out of North Dakota State is a frontrunner for MVP and the key to Philadelphia’s resurgent season. The Eagles are now without their most important player for their first serious shot at making a Super Bowl in 13 years. Wentz was replaced by Nick Foles, himself a former Rams quarterback on his second stint with the Eagles.
Philadelphia ultimately won the back-and-forth battle of the two NFC heavyweights, 43-35, improving to 11-2 and clinching its division in the process. The Rams drop to 9-4 and head into next week’s matchup against the Seahawks with the NFC West lead on line.
This piece was updated with additional information after publication.
