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Eagles Clinch Division Title; Carson Wentz Leaves With Injury

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The Eagles clinched the NFC East title after defeating the Rams 43-35. With the win, the Eagles move to first place in the NFC at 11-2 while clinching their first playoff berth and division title since 2013.

The win, however, came at a potentially significant cost. Quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a left knee injury in the third quarter while diving for a touchdown that was called back. The extent of Wentz's injury is unknown. Before he exited the game in the third quarter, Wentz set the franchise record for most touchdowns in a single season (33) finishing with 291 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

In the absence of tight end Zach Ertz, Trey Burton and Brent Celek combined for three touchdowns. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and defensive end Brandon Graham both scored touchdowns while running back Jay Ajayi finished with a team-high 78 rushing yards.

On the Eagles' opening possession of the game, Wentz had his pass intended for Nelson Agholor intercepted at the Philadelphia 37-yard line by Kayvon Webster. The Rams capitalized on the mistake as running back Todd Gurley rushed in for a 2-yard touchdown which put the Rams in front 7-0 just two minutes into the game.

Down in the red zone for Philadelphia, Celek drew a pass interference call before he caught a 5-yard touchdown from Wentz to knot the game at 7-7.

On the next possession, Jeffery drew a pass interference call on third-and-3 to keep the drive alive before Wentz hit Burton for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter on fourth-and-1, Wentz dropped back and hit Agholor for a short pass and an 18-yard pickup to once again keep the Philadelphia drive alive. A few plays later, Wentz and Burton hooked up for the second time of the day for an 11-yard touchdown giving Burton a career-high two touchdowns.

The Rams responded as Cooper Kupp caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to narrow the Eagles' lead to 21-14 with nine minutes remaining in the half.

Prior to the two-minute warning, head coach Doug Pederson challenged the spot of the ball on a third-down gain by Los Angeles and the ruling was overturned which forced a Rams punt from their own 28. Kicker Jake Elliott drained a 22-yard field goal after a 46-yard catch-and-run by wide receiver Torrey Smith to extend the lead to 24-14 at halftime.

At the start of the third quarter, the Rams scored quickly on a 1-yard touchdown throw from Goff to wide receiver Sammy Watkins to shrink the lead to 24-21. On an ensuing Eagles' possession, Donnie Jones' punt was blocked by Mike Thomas and returned by former Eagles draft pick Blake Countess for a touchdown to place the Rams in front 28-24.

On the Eagles' next possession, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson kept the offense on the field. The Eagles went for it on fourth-and-goal and Wentz made a spectacular throw to Alshon Jeffery who caught the pass with ends of his fingertips for a touchdown to put the Eagles 31-28. It was Wentz's final play of the day.

The Rams took over in the fourth quarter and Gurley scored again on a short touchdown run to regain a 35-31 lead. Backup quarterback Nick Foles replaced Wentz and commanded a 10-play drive that ended with a Jake Elliott field goal to close the gap to 35-34.

Defensive end Chris Long, a former Rams draft pick, then strip-sacked Goff at the Los Angeles 29 and the ball was recovered by another former Ram in Rodney McLeod setting up the offense at the Los Angeles 25. A leverage penalty against the Rams negated a 54-yard field goal attempt and gave the Eagles a first down. Elliott nailed a 33-yarder just plays later to put the Eagles back in front 37-35. The Rams had one final shot with one second remaining but linebacker Nigel Bradham forced a fumble and Graham ran it back 25 yards for a touchdown.  

The Eagles will head back to the East Coast to play the Giants in Week 15.

Game Leaders

Passing

Carson Wentz: 23-41, 291 yards, 4 TD, INT
Nick Foles:6-10, 42 yards
Jared Goff:15-25, 207 yards, 2 TD 

Receiving

Trey Burton:4 catches, 55 yards, 2 TDBrent Celek: 5 yards, TD
Alshon Jeffery:4 catches, 42 yards, TD
Torrey Smith:6 catches, 100 yards
Cooper Kupp: 5 catches, 118 yards, TD
Sammy Watkins: 2 catches, 6 yards, TD* *

Rushing

Jay Ajayi: 15 carries, 78 yards
Todd Gurley:13 carries, 96 yards, TD

Defense

Kayvon Webster:INT
Robert Quinn:1 sack
Chris Long: 1 sack, FF
Brandon Graham: FR, TD

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and clinched the NFC East.

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