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Eagles Have Real Shot at NFC East Title, But Carson Wentz Needs Help

BleacherreportThe Philadelphia Eagles are falling apart offensively, yet they couldn’t be in a better position to claim another NFC East crown.

Monday’s 23-17 overtime victory over the self-sabotaging New York Giants allowed the Eagles to pull even with the Dallas Cowboys at 6-7 overall in the NFL‘s worst division.

“To come in after halftime, backs against the wall, season-on-the-line type of thing,” Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz told reporters after the game. “I was a little bummed we didn’t win it in regulation. Overtime [was] huge for me personally and for the team.”

The Cowboys still hold an edge for the division crown due to tiebreakers, but the Eagles aren’t out of this race by any means. If they get healthy and handle their business down the stretch against an easier schedule, they could sneak into the postseason for a third straight year.

On Monday, Wentz showed he could shoulder the burden of the entire offense. But the Eagles can’t operate the same way they did against the 2-11 Giants and expect to survive. Philadelphia had one healthy wide receiver available by the end of Monday’s game, and right tackle Lane Johnson left with an injury as well.

Those situations will have a significant influence over the division race.

Philly’s options became severely limited when top receiver Alshon Jeffery suffered a non-contact injury early in the second quarter. He left without a catch and reportedly heard something pop, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, although there’s hope that it isn’t an Achilles injury.

“Guys were in positions that we definitely didn’t practice this week,” Wentz said after the game. “Guys go down. We’re switching X and Z in the huddle and guys made the plays.”

Greg Ward Jr. led all Eagles receivers with four catches for 34 yards. Rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside snagged two passes for 29 yards. That’s all of the production Philadelphia’s wide receivers could muster.

DeSean Jackson is already on injured reserve. Nelson Agholor missed Monday’s game with a knee injury. Arcega-Whiteside didn’t leave the game unscathed, either. The Eagles may have no choice but to bolster their receiving corps to make life easier on Wentz, even if Agholor, Jeffery or Arcega-Whiteside are fine moving forward.

Wentz looked out of sorts for much of the night. The 26-year-old’s ball placement was erratic, and he made some poor decisions. He showed awful judgment late in the fourth quarter when attempting a pass within a defender’s grasp. Another Giant batted the ball, and it floated in the air for what seemed like forever.

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