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Nick Foles steps in for injured Carson Wentz and gets win over Los Angeles Rams

By Jay Paris, The Sports Xchange
Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz walks to the sidelines on 4th down against the Chicago Bears in week 12 of the NFL regular season at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 26, 2017. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz walks to the sidelines on 4th down against the Chicago Bears in week 12 of the NFL regular season at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 26, 2017. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

LOS ANGELES -- With the Hollywood sign overlooking the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on a smog-free Sunday, Philadelphia's Nick Foles was ready for his close-up.

When quarterback Carson Wentz exited after three quarters with a knee injury, the Eagles turned to his backup. Foles seized control of one of the NFL's most explosive offenses and did enough to secure a 43-35 victory over the Rams.

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"He has started in this league and he has come in and played well," Eagles head Doug Pederson said. "I have all the confidence in him if he has to start."

For starters, word circulated in the locker room that Wentz, a candidate for NFL MVP honors, had suffered a torn ACL. But Pederson wouldn't confirm, or deny, that diagnosis.

But it is clear that Wentz will likely be compromised, with the question being for how long? Until that is determined, Foles will direct that side of the ball.

As much as he hates to see Wentz idle.

"You're talking about a guy that I work with every day and think the world of," Foles said. "I've already said I think he is the MVP this year."

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Wentz has been special and he proved it again on Sunday. He threw four touchdown passes, with his final one setting a new franchise mark of 33 scoring tosses in a season. The old mark had stood since Sonny Jurgensen heaved 32 touchdown passes in 1961.

But that milestone was washed away in the aftermath of the Eagles losing Wentz. At least Philadelphia didn't lose their second straight game.

"It's your job to go in there and just try to find completions and play fast because it had been awhile since I played," Foles said. "You just try to not make bad plays worse and you just try to get the win."

Defensive end Chris Long helped when he stripped the ball from Rams quarterback Jared Goff in the fourth quarter. That set up the Eagles to escape the West Coast with at least one win after losing last week at Seattle.

"The defense did a great job when Carson went down," said Foles, who completed 6 of 10 passes for 42 yards. "That meant a lot to me and to this team."

It is clear what Wentz means to the Eagles.

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"Obviously we don't want to lose our best player, if not the most important player on the team for sure and that's tough," said wide receiver Torrey Smith, who had a team-high 100 receiving yards on six catches. "But for us to bounce back and win on the road, it's huge for us."

Was he surprised Foles pulled out the victory?

"He did," Smith said, "what we expected him to do."

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