NFL Week 15: 5 teams that must win
By Joe Schiller
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Why does the No. 1 seed in the NFC face a must-win game against the Giants this week? It’s pretty simple. There’s no more Carson Wentz the rest of the season and the Eagles are in deep trouble. They’ve lost their best player and it’s time to prove they can still win with Nick Foles under center.
Wentz’s torn ACL is about as bad as it can get for this team but the hopes are still alive. The Eagles are 11-2 and have already clinched a playoff spot, now it’s about securing home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Even with Foles under center, the Eagles have a favorable schedule to finish out the season. They are on the road to face the depleted Giants this week then finish out the season at home against the Raiders and Cowboys. At worst, with the talent on this team, the Eagles go 2-1 and finish the season 13-3. That’s a huge confidence boost heading into the playoffs.
Not all is lost for the season with Foles under center. He’ll never be able to breathe in the same room as Carson Wentz but if Case Keenum can lead the Vikings like we’ve seen him do this season, Foles can do the same. After all, this is the same quarterback who replaced Michael Vick in 2013 and threw for 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The moral of the story here is it could be a lot worse.
A win over the Giants keeps the Eagles rolling along to finish out the season. Nothing will help Foles’ confidence more than that.