Things change quickly in the NFL. The truths attached to a team can be absolute reality heading into a game, and after, they can become completely false.
Thursday night felt like that kind of moment for Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz.
Heading into Thursday night's key game against the Green Bay Packers, the Eagles were underdogs, 1-3 and in need of a win. It was the kind of game elite head coach and quarterback combinations find a way to win. They don't need to win with style points, they just need to win, and they need to find a way to do it together.
It was not a game that Wentz and Pederson have a history of winning together. They had a losing record together in one-score games. They had a losing record overall in their last 14 games. It was fair to be skeptical they would be able to beat the Packers, considering they walked into similar situations in New Orleans and Dallas last season and walked out with losses both times.
On Thursday night they walked out of Lambeau Field with a 34-27 win — and it can't be overlooked how big it was for the growth of a duo the Eagles could be counting on for the next 10-plus years.
Pederson and Wentz didn't have a moment or win like that before Thursday. They had big wins over bad teams in 2017. They had a win over the Carolina Panthers in 2017, but that game didn't have the importance this one did considering the Eagles were 4-1 entering that night. They had the win over the Los Angeles Rams in 2017, but considering Wentz tore his ACL in that one, it is likely hard for the duo to look back especially fondly on that one.
Now, they have their signature win as a duo. A win that should give them confidence the next time they walk into a situation similar to the one they did on Thursday night.
It wasn't pretty to start, but once Wentz and Pederson got rolling, they put on an absolute clinic under the bright lights of Lambeau Field.
After punting on their first two drives — the usual showing from them — they took the offense on a run that included five touchdowns in six drives. They turned a 10-0 deficit into 21-20 lead in less than a quarter, and they did it with a perfect combination of great play calling and big-time throws. Pederson schemed players wide open. When they weren't, Wentz got the ball where it needed to be in tight windows. Forget the stats and the yards — although his quarterback rating was an impressive113.2 — Wentz looked cool, calm and collected against the Packers. He got the ball out quicker than usual and ran the offense. Save for an almost-costly missed throw on third down in the fourth quarter, Wentz was everything the Eagles could have hoped for.
Although it is impossible to bring up Nick Foles when talking about Carson Wentz without starting a riot, it was hard not to think of the Eagles' former quarterback on Thursday night.
Pederson had plenty of moments and wins like that with Foles. Not just the during the Super Bowl run — but wins like Los Angeles last season, or in Chicago vs. the Bears, or at home vs. Houston. Games those two won together that gave them confidence they could win the next one when they needed too. The confidence that fans felt going into Thursday night, highlighting that this is the type of game the Eagles always seem to win, came from games that Foles won in similar situations.
Now, Wentz has won that game, and Pederson has his moment with Wentz. The one they can pull back to next time their season is in danger or the next time they are in a need fo a win nobody thinks they can get.
The Eagles' record is still a very average 2-2. They still have a tough road ahead, although it is an easier one after avoiding 1-3. Trips to Minnesota, Dallas and Buffalo will not be easy.
In the big picture, however, what happened was bigger than the 2019 season.
Wentz got his signature win. Pederson got a big win with Wentz.
Now, they just have to go out and do it again.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
