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Eagles rallying around Carson Wentz as Cowboys game nears

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is not shying away from the notion that Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys is the biggest of his career to date.

"You could probably say that. It's definitely a big game," Wentz said Wednesday, as preparations for Week 16's de facto NFC East title match in South Philadelphia between the Eagles and Cowboys (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox) picked up. "We know the situation. We know what's going on. At the same time, we're treating it as another game. But we're aware of everything."

This season has not gone according to script for the 7-7 Eagles or Wentz, who ranks 28th in yards per attempt (6.51) and second in fumbles (14) entering Week 16. The conditions have been far from ideal -- he lost deep threat DeSean Jackson to injury in Week 2, and has been without all three of his top receivers (Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor) and his lead back in Jordan Howard for much of the past month. But when you've just received a four-year, $128 million contract extension and are operating in an environment where Nick Foles' accomplishments bend perception, there's little room for nuance in public discourse when it comes to Wentz.

His teammates, however, are shifting their support for him into overdrive as the season hits its most critical point.

"I told him a couple weeks ago, it might have been [after] the Dolphins game, 'Don't ever think that any loss we ever have as a team is solely on you, because it's not. The world wants to make it seem that way because you're a franchise guy, you just got all this money and you're supposed to do X, Y and Z, and Foles this, Foles that type stuff. But don't think for a second any loss is all you because it's not,'" said Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks. "I just wanted to let him know what he's been able to do with what he has, man, he's been balling all season. Hat's off to him, man. His resiliency, his toughness, his mental toughness, you name it.”

There has been a subtle transformation inside the locker room over the past couple weeks, brought on by Wentz's late-game heroics in back-to-back-games against the Giants and Redskins and the supporting cast he has been making magic with. With veterans Jeffery and Agholor out of the picture, all the noise about bad chemistry and discontentment has waned. In their place are young, eager players, such as receiver Greg Ward Jr. and running backs Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, who are creating energy and placing trust in their on-field leader, making for a positive vibe.

"That's really been the culture around here since I've been here: When guys do go down, leaders have got to step up and make sure everyone is coming along and everyone is excited and prepared as they should be, and instilling belief in the guys around them," Wentz said. "That just kind of comes with the territory and I have seen a lot of guys doing a really good job of that."

For all the bumps this season, Wentz ranks eighth in QBR (62.6) and seventh in touchdown passes (25). He has thrown 18 touchdowns with no interceptions in the red zone for a 104.2 rating, and he remains money on third down with 11 TD throws -- second only to David Carr (13). He has led the Eagles to two fourth-quarter comebacks in a row with a skeleton crew on offense.

"That's what special players do," said Eagles backup QB Josh McCown of Wentz's comebacks. "To take last week and build on that is huge, and that's what you want to see a franchise quarterback do. To see him do it two weeks in a row is really encouraging and certainly something he can build on."

Thanks to those two come-from-behind wins, Wentz has the opportunity to change the narrative of his 2019 season by engineering a win against Dallas.

"I get it's the Cowboys and everything's on the line, but one thing about [Wentz], I don't think any moment's too big for him and I don't think it's going to be any different Sunday," Brooks said. "What he's been able to do and overcome and weather through, not just this year but for years, really is a testament to him. And come Sunday, I know he's going to ball out just like he has every game this year."