Eagles Name Nick Foles Week 1 Starter As Carson Wentz Continues Recovery

Foles and the Eagles will face the Falcons on Thursday night.

Quarterback Nick Foles will start for the Eagles in their season opener against the Falcons on Thursday night, head coach Doug Pederson announced Monday. 

Foles will start in place of Carson Wentz, who suffered a torn ACL against Los Angeles on Dec. 9. Wentz has made significant progress in his offseason rehab but has not been cleared for contact by the Eagles' medical team. 

This obviously will not be Foles' first time filling in for Wentz. The six-year veteran started the final three games of the regular season in 2017 and then led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. He competed 71.9 percent of passes in three postseason games last year with eight touchdowns and one interception. Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns in Super Bowl LII and was named Super Bowl MVP. 

Wentz was in the MVP hunt before tearing his ACL against the Rams. The second-year quarterback threw 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 13 starts last season to win 11 games. 

Foles and the Eagles will begin their Super Bowl defense on Sept. 6 by hosting the Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Kickoff is slated for 8:20 p.m. ET.