Advertisement

Carson Wentz knocked out with head injury in first quarter of his first playoff start

Before this season, Carson Wentz’s durability was a constant topic of discussion among Philadelphia Eagles fans.

Wentz stayed healthy all regular season. Then he was off to the locker room in the first quarter of the Eagles’ playoff opener. He didn’t return and at halftime, NBC’s Michele Tafoya reported he had been ruled out.

[Watch live NFL games on the Yahoo Sports app, here's how]

Wentz was hit in the back by Seahawks edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney as he was going down on a play. The Eagles’ franchise quarterback went to the medical tent, and then later to the locker room while being evaluated for a head injury. Clowney hit the back of Wentz’s helmet as the two went to the ground. It was an unnecessary hit by Clowney, but no flag was thrown.

Josh McCown, the 40-year-old veteran who was drawn out of retirement by the Eagles to back up Wentz, took over at quarterback with less than two minutes to go in the first quarter. McCown was the second player to throw his first playoff pass after age 40, joining Sonny Jurgensen.

Wentz has a long history of bad injury luck. He was an MVP candidate in 2017 when he tore his ACL. His 2018 season ended early due to a back injury. This season he stayed healthy for 16 games, but caught another bad break to start the postseason.

Seattle's Jadeveon Clowney (90) hits Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) during the first half their wild-card playoff game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Seattle's Jadeveon Clowney (90) hits Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) during the first half their wild-card playoff game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

– – – – – – –

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

More from Yahoo Sports: