Philadelphia Eagles: A checklist to make a playoff run

Keep Wentz healthy

No longer is Nick Foles waiting in the wings. Now, the loss of Carson Wentz could prove catastrophic to any chance that the Eagles turn their season around.

Over the last two seasons, Wentz has missed a total of thirteen games. Eight of those games were regular-season contests, while five were in the playoffs. Combined, this amounts to almost a full season missed.

In each game, Foles was there to relieve Wentz. This season, veteran quarterback Josh McCown is the backup.

McCown, who came out of retirement to join the Eagles, has had double-digit starts in only three of his 16 prior seasons as an NFL quarterback.

At 40 years of age, some may argue McCown could have some Foles-like magic of his own. Even if he did, it would take a while to unearth it.

McCown has thrown a mere five passes this season, all in a week two matchup against the Atlanta Falcons that seems like an eternity ago.

The time has come to witness the 26-year-old Wentz start his first playoff game as an Eagle.

The Eagles seem committed to protecting Wentz, as elite offensive guard Brandon Brooks signed a four-year contract extension through 2024.