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Wentz's comeback effort not enough in 30-28 Eagles loss

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell (93) during Sunday's game at Lincoln Financial Field. Eric Hartline / USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA — If you focus on the fourth quarter, on the toughness, resilience, and determination that almost paid off, on Carson Wentz’s heaving long completions while being leveled, are you fooling yourself?

Or is there still hope for a Philadelphia Eagles team that fell to 1-4-1 Sunday in a 30-28 loss to the much healthier Baltimore Ravens, prime Super Bowl contenders at 5-1?

With the Giants, Cowboys, and Giants next up, hope doesn’t seem outlandish. It might be a matter of how much hope is reasonable, for a team that finished Sunday’s game with two original offensive starters still standing — Wentz and center Jason Kelce.

A group that wasn’t extraordinarily talented to begin with ended Sunday with its third left tackle, its second left guard, its third right guard, and its third right tackle out there trying to keep Wentz from getting killed. Top running back Miles Sanders (knee) and top tight and Zach Ertz (ankle) were out, along with defensive tackle Malik Jackson (quad) and rookie right tackle Jack Driscoll (ankle).

The Eagles declared Friday that right tackle Lane Johnson (ankle) and wide receivers Alshon Jeffery (foot) and DeSean Jackson wouldn’t play. The team also is missing tight end Dallas Goedert (ankle), starting corner Avonte Maddox (ankle), and first-round rookie receiver Jalen Reagor (thumb), among others.

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“Every healthy body we had played in this football game,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. (Third quarterback Nate Sudfeld didn’t, but that didn’t really detract from Pederson’s point.) “You guys know exactly where we’re at healthwise, and these guys battled their tails off today, and still had a chance to tie this football game, really had a chance to win this football game against a healthy, healthy football team.”

The fourth quarter showed the Eagles haven’t quit on Pederson, and it showed Wentz’s toughness and heart. But it also showed that there are too many holes in this team to beat a prime contender such as the Ravens, who narrowly prevailed after building leads of 17-0 and 30-14. The Eagles’ holes only got bigger.

The Ravens had to stop an Eagles two-point conversion play just after the two-minute warning to avoid overtime, because Wentz led a pair of touchdown drives while taking a terrible beating. He was sacked six times and hit 16 times. But when Wentz burrowed into the end zone with 1 minute, 55 seconds remaining, he made a miracle ending possible, after seeing two possible TD passes dropped.

On the two-point play, the bumbling Eagles of the first three quarters returned: The snap was rushed because the play clock was expiring, and Wentz and Boston Scott were swallowed whole by a defense that came into the game averaging a league-low 15.2 points per game allowed. There was no discernible blocking. Then the Eagles couldn’t recover Jake Elliott’s onside kick attempt, and that was that.

“Last week (at Pittsburgh]\), this week, obviously the ending’s not what we want, but to see the way guys have fought, being down in both games, and rallied back — the resiliency of this team is something I don’t think you can question,” Wentz said after completing 21 of 40 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He also took off on a 40-yard ramble but had the ball punched out for the game’s only turnover on another run. ″The toughness of these guys; you’ve got injuries all over the place, and you’ve got guys stepping up who maybe just got here this week."

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