The Eagles have seen starter after starter succumb to injury this year, forced to make do with guys they picked up off the street or signed off their practice squad. Somehow, they rallied to win their last four regular season games to finish 9-7, win the NFC East and earn a playoff berth.

Much of that can be credited to quarterback Carson Wentz, who has stayed off Philadelphia’s ever-growing injury report this season. After injuries derailed his last two seasons, the fourth-year signal-caller is finally ready to lead his team through a playoff run.

Wentz has carried the no-name Eagles offense all season, justifying his six-year, $154 million extension he signed last offseason despite his injury history. He accumulated 4,039 yards and 27 touchdowns with seven interceptions, good for a 93.1 passer rating. This came despite often missing numerous starters along the offensive line and without many of the weapons he expected to have at the start of the year; he lost his top three receivers, tight end and top two running backs throughout the season.

Over the final four weeks, with the Eagles sitting at 5-7 and watching their playoff hopes dwindle, Wentz threw for 1,199 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. The Eagles won all four games to surge into the playoffs. He became the first quarterback ever to throw for over 4,000 yards without a wide receiver with more than 500 receiving yards.

Now, he’s earned the right to lead the Eagles through a playoff run – untrodden territory for the former North Dakota State star.

“[Wentz] doesn’t have to focus on anything more than just continuing to lead this team and doing the things that have made him successful down the stretch here,” coach Doug Pederson told reporters Thursday. “I don’t want to add any more stress or pressure on him. Just the game itself, it’s a one-and-done mentality, and I want him to play free and not have to worry about things in the past that are out of our control at this time. We are going to focus on Seattle.”

After a promising rookie campaign, Wentz was playing at an MVP-caliber level throughout his sophomore season before a torn ACL ended it after 13 games. In those 13 games, Wentz led the Eagles to a 11-2 record and tossed 3,296 yards, a whopping 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Those 33 touchdowns ranked second in the league despite Wentz missing three games, and his 101.9 passer rating was fourth-best in the league.

Nick Foles would go on to lead that team to a Super Bowl title, putting up a historic performance in a 41-33 win over the Patriots.

Despite the team owning a 5-6 record, Wentz enjoyed another superb-if-not-short-lived season in 2018. He threw for 3,074 yards, 21 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 102.2 passer rating in 11 games, but a spinal compression fracture cut his season short. Foles brought the team to the NFC Divisional Round, and debates swirled around Philadelphia over who was the proper quarterback for the Eagles to keep into the future.

Ultimately, the Eagles decided to let Foles sign with the Jaguars and extend Wentz despite his inability to stay healthy. Just a few months after that decision, Wentz has all but answered all of the questions asked about him.

“What Carson Wentz just did in the last 6 weeks of his season is way more impressive than what he did in 2017,” former backup quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky tweeted. “Everything. Every single thing that everyone said ‘he couldn’t do or wasn’t’ he smashed with the Thor hammer. He didn’t talk – just did. Nobody wants to see 11.”