Carson Wentz cleared and will start in Week 3 for the Eagles

For all the great quarterback play around the NFL the first two weeks, we hadn’t even seen the one who was tracking to win an MVP award last season.

That will change in Week 3, as the Philadelphia Eagles announced quarterback Carson Wentz has been medically cleared and will start on Sunday.

It will be Wentz’s first game back since tearing his ACL last December 10 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Carson Wentz’s return will be against the Colts on Sunday

The announcement ends months of speculation about Wentz’s return.

Wentz tore his ACL when he was hit diving into the end zone at the end of a run. We all know what happened after that: Nick Foles took over at quarterback, the Eagles swept through the playoffs with him and beat the Patriots with Foles taking Super Bowl MVP honors.

There was never a question Wentz would start as soon as he was healthy. He hadn’t been cleared for contact through Week 2, though Wentz said he felt good and observers said he was moving around well.

The Eagles didn’t bother to act like they needed to see Wentz in practice before determining if he would start; he was cleared and the Eagles wasted no time announcing he’d start Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

“I was impressed with how well he attacked his rehab throughout the offseason,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said, via Dave Spadaro of the team’s website. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and he’s ready to go.”

Eagles off to a poor offensive start

Wentz’s return comes at a good time for the Eagles.

Philadelphia is 1-1, and the one win was mostly thanks to the defense in the opener. The Eagles struggled most of Sunday’s game to move the ball, until a late rally in a 27-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Until the final seconds of the third quarter Sunday, the Eagles had scored just one touchdown. Part of the problem is that the Eagles are thin at receiver, especially with Alshon Jeffery still out after shoulder surgery and Mike Wallace suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2.

Foles played OK filling in for Wentz over the first two games this season, but he wasn’t putting up the same level production he did in the final two playoff games last season. It wasn’t like the Eagles had a lot to consider when Wentz was cleared to play.

Foles clearly filled in well for Wentz. He made history when Wentz was out. But the Eagles will be very happy to see their young star back on the field Sunday.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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