Philadelphia Eagles: Carson Wentz can provide necessary spark

Carson Wentz will be back under center for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, and this couldn’t come at a better time for a team that needs a spark.

Confidence was high among Philadelphia Eagles fans entering the 2018 season, even with star quarterback Carson Wentz unable to go at the start of the year. That, of course, was because the Eagles have Nick Foles, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, to start in relief of Wentz. After two games and posting a 1-1 record, however, the confidence in Foles is quickly waning.

The good news for the Eagles faithful is that they won’t need confidence in Foles starting in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, because the Wentz-Wagon is rolling back into Philadelphia.

On Monday, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson (via Kevin Patra of Around The NFL) said that his starting quarterback has been cleared and will start on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. This comes after Foles put up big numbers in a shocking loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, albeit with much of that production coming in garbage time.

For what it’s worth, Wentz himself appears excited to be getting back into the fold, as he weighed in on Twitter:

Wentz may be feeling ecstatic about his return, but so too should the rest of the team and fans. No, this isn’t just about Wentz being a transcendent quarterback talent — it’s about a team that needs a shot of adrenaline after the first two weeks of the season.

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Though Pederson said on Monday that he doesn’t plan to limit Wentz, it’s worth noting that we don’t know what he’s going to look like. The North Dakota State product is a player that relies on his mobility to make plays. Thus, coming off of a torn ACL, you have to wonder if he’ll be able to do that at a high level right away. And even if he’s better than Foles has been, he still might not be at the MVP level he was at last season prior to the injury.

The more important matter, however, is that this team looks stale right now. Even in the NFL Kickoff win over the Atlanta Falcons, this didn’t look like the inspired team that won the Super Bowl with a backup quarterback. Super Bowl hangovers are real, and the Eagles look to be suffering from one.

Wentz returning could provide the jolt that this team needs in a big way. Having the signal-caller return to action in front of a home crowd seems like something that could be highly rejuvenating and have every player on the roster a little more ready and amped up than they have been.

At 1-1 to start the season, Philly isn’t remotely out of anything. With how they’ve looked in both games, though, they need to find something to get them motivated and focused. The return of Carson Wentz can provide that, and they better hope that it does.