Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Carson Wentz has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee, ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season and the postseason, Coach Doug Pederson confirmed on Monday.
Wentz sustained the injury during Sunday’s win against the Los Angeles Rams and underwent an MRI on Monday morning. Pederson also announced that Nick Foles, who replaced Wentz during the game, will be the starting quarterback for the first-place Eagles.
Wentz injured himself after taking several hits on a touchdown run that was nullified by a holding penalty in the third quarter. He continued to play through the drive and later threw a fourth-down touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery, which gave the Eagles the lead.
The Eagles (11-2), who secured the NFC East title with Sunday’s win, now face the challenge of advancing without their key player. They have already been dealing with significant injuries, including the loss of nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, return specialist/running back Darren Sproles, star linebacker Jordan Hicks, and special-teams captain Chris Maragos for the season.
Pederson highlighted his team’s resilience and urged Eagles fans not to “lose faith.” He noted that Foles was signed in the offseason for situations like this and expressed confidence in his ability to lead the team.
“If there’s ever a chance for me to rally the troops as the football coach, now might be the time,” Pederson said. “You can’t lose faith. This has been a resilient football team all season long.”
Foles helped the Eagles come back from a fourth-quarter deficit on Sunday, but the road to the Super Bowl will be challenging without Wentz, who has passed for 3,296 yards and leads the NFL with 33 touchdown passes in just his second year.
Wentz’s injury also affected betting odds, as the Westgate SuperBook extended the Eagles’ Super Bowl odds from 6-1 to 12-1.
Wentz, 24, set a franchise record on Sunday for most touchdown passes in a single season, surpassing Sonny Jurgensen’s record that had stood since 1961.
Second-year pro Nate Sudfeld is the Eagles’ No. 3 quarterback. Pederson mentioned that he has not yet discussed with personnel boss Howie Roseman the possibility of adding a third quarterback.
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