Carson Wentz finally accomplished something on Sunday that he'd yet to do this season. The quarterback and his teammates had opportunities before, but each time they came up just short.
They weren't going to let that happen a fifth time.
As the clock expired at Lincoln Financial Field, Wentz and the Eagles were on the winning side as they pulled off their first fourth-quarter comeback and moved to 5-4 on the year. The victory over Atlanta may not have been the most dramatic, but it was one that was much-needed as the team embarks on the second half of its 2016 campaign.
"It's something we're going to build on," the rookie said during his postgame press conference. "Obviously, the other four losses we had a chance every game. Whether it was a minute left, three minutes left, whatever it may be, we had a chance. It was good to kind of get over that hump, so to speak.
"We know we can finish ball games. We know we have the guys to do that. It's good to show that finally."
Down 15-13 with 13:06 left, Wentz led the Eagles on an eight-play, 76-yard scoring drive to take a six-point lead before a Caleb Sturgis field goal truly sealed the deal at the two-minute warning.
On the afternoon, the quarterback went 25-of-36 for 231 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and one fumble. Wentz ended the game with a passer rating of 86.7 and also had four carries for 10 yards.
From an individual standpoint, it wasn't the rookie's most statistically impressive showing. However, the balanced approach to the offense helped him tremendously and he'd much rather have that than the personal glory.
"The run game was huge today. I don't know what the total yards were. I think it was over 200, which was big," Wentz said. "It was good to get 24 going again, get Ryan (Mathews). Obviously, he's had a couple down weeks but it was good to feed him the rock and he was running angry. When the O-line is playing like that, it made my job easy. I'll tell you that much."
In the end, Wentz knows his performance wasn't perfect. He admitted to mistakes – things like throwing the ball away on fourth-and-1 just prior to halftime instead of holding on to it and letting the clock run down. But in the end, what really mattered to him was getting that "monkey off" the team's back.
The Eagles did just that. They proved they have the ability to finish and that they're going to keep improving and growing each and every week.
"It's a big game for us as an offense and as a team to really just pull off a tight win like this," Wentz said. "Obviously, we're halfway through the season. To get this win, to go in the plus category, is huge but I think the biggest thing is we pulled one out in the end. We hadn't done that yet."
The Eagles added another victory to their record at home against the Atlanta Falcons during Salute to Service month. Check out the best shots.
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The Eagles heading to the field.
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DE Brandon Graham with his #1 fan Chase!
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T Halapoulivaati Vaitai
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DT Flectcher Cox and G/T Matt Tobin making their way out onto the field.
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The Eagles preparing to take the field moments before kickoff.
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RB Darren Sproles taking the field
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DE Vinny Curry leading the Eagles in their pre-game chant
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LB Jordan Hicks
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DE Connor Barwin moments before kickoff
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CB Aaron Grymes with head coach Doug Pederson before the game. This is Grymes' first game on the 53-man active roster.
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Eagles game day captains TE Zach Ertz, LB Mychal Kendricks and DE Marcus Smith.
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Eagles offensive huddle
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QB Carson Wentz
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WR Jordan Matthews
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WR Jordan Matthews
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RB Ryan Mathews
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RB Ryan Mathews
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RB Ryan Mathews
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RB Ryan Mathews
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QB Carson Wentz
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S Malcolm Jenkins on the tackle
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S Malcolm Jenkins and S Rodney McLeod breaking up the play
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QB Carson Wentz
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RB Kenjon Barner
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RB Kenjon Barner
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RB Kenjon Barner
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CB Jalen Mills
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DE Brandon Graham
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DE Brandon Graham records a sack
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WR Jordan Matthews
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RB Darren Sproles
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At the line of scrimmage
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Head Coach Doug Pederson
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LB Mychal Kendricks, S Malcolm Jenkins, LB Jordan Hicks and CB Jalen Mills taking on their opponent.
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RB Ryan Mathews
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RB Ryan Mathews
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RB Ryan Mathews
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RB Ryan Mathews
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RB Ryan Mathews and T Halapoulivaati Vaitai
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TE Brent Celek
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TE Brent Celek
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WR Jordan Matthews
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WR Jordan Matthews
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WR Jordan Matthews
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QB Carson Wentz
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QB Carson Wentz
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RB Darren Sproles
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DE Brandon Graham and DE Steven Means