INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts didn't have to wait long on Monday to learn which quarterback they'll be facing in their upcoming showdown against the defending Super Bowl champs.
The Philadelphia Eagles today announced that Carson Wentz will be making his 2018 debut on Sunday against the Colts at Lincoln Financial Field.
Wentz was a top candidate for the league's Most Valuable Player award when he suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Dec. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams. Backup Nick Foles took over from there and, after experiencing some bumps early, amped up his play during the postseason, eventually leading the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl title with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots.
But it'll be Wentz, and not Foles, under center on Sunday against Indianapolis — just 287 days, or about 9 1/2 months, after tearing his ACL.
"I was impressed with how well he attacked his rehab throughout the offseason," Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said of Wentz. "He's done everything we've asked him to do and he's ready to go."
Asked if Wentz will be restricted in any way in his first game back, Pederson said, "There are no limitations."
"I'm not going to coach scared," Pederson continued. "I'm not going to coach paranoid."
Sunday's game will also be a reunion of sorts between the Eagles and Colts head coach Frank Reich, who was the team's offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017.
Reich worked closely with Wentz and helped develop him into one of the top quarterbacks in the league last season. At the time of his injury, Wentz was leading the league with 33 touchdown passes and had just seven interceptions.
The Eagles enter this Sunday's game with a 1-1 record, having defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 18-12, in their 2018 season opener before falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-21, yesterday at Raymond James Stadium.
Foles has been the starter through the first two games, and has completed 54-of-82 passes (65.9 percent) for one touchdown and one interception. Philadelphia enters the game with the league's 24th-ranked offense (322 yards per game). The Eagles have been hit with the injury bug at the wide receiver position, and Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) and Mike Wallace (ankle) could each miss the Colts game.
The Colts, meanwhile, improved to 1-1 on the year yesterday with their 21-9 road victory over the Washington Redskins, a rival of the Eagles in the NFC East Division.
