Doug Pederson

Wentz exited in the first quarter after hurting his head and did not return as the Eagles lost 17-9 to the Seahawks in the NFL playoffs on Sunday.

The Eagles signal caller took a blow to the back of his helmet from Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and was replaced by 40-year-old back-up Josh McCown.

McCown – making his postseason debut following 17 seasons in the league – went 18 of 24 for 174 yards as the Eagles failed to reach the divisional round in Philadelphia.

Asked whether the game would have been different if Wentz was healthy, Pederson told reporters: "It's hard to say but I'd say yes if he was healthy. With the game plan we had, I think so. But it's hard to speculate."

The Eagles were hoping Wentz could lead the team deep into the playoffs after the 27-year-old played the entire regular season for the first time since his rookie year.

Wentz had suffered major injuries in 2017 and 2018 as Nick Foles stepped up to guide the Eagles to Super Bowl LII glory – Sunday's playoff appearance his first since being drafted in 2016.

"I feel for him. I feel bad for him," Pederson said of Wentz. "I briefly saw him in the dressing room afterwards.

"I'm disappointed for him. I wanted this for him. A lot of his team-mates did, too. So did the team and organisation. He's been through a lot."

Th Eagles endured an injury-ravaged season, but star tight end Zach Ertz managed to suit up and face the Seahawks, despite two non-displaced rib fractures sustained in Week 16.

Ertz was rushed to hospital after finding blood in his urine, however, he took to the field two weeks later and was teary-eyed post-game.

"It's been tough. It's been real tough," Ertz told reporters. "It hurts. Been a lot of highs and lows. My faith just kept me through it, kept me grounded. There was a plan for me.

"I just wanted it to be black and white, honestly. I took the emotion out of it. I just prayed that I wanted it to be clear. I didn't want it to be a grey area where it was an emotional decision. When it was unanimous that I was good to play, I knew that there was a plan and a reason, and that's why I was able to go."

"I wanted to play for this city," Ertz added. "I take a lot of pride [in] playing for my team-mates."

Philadelphia were on the brink of a fifth NFL defeat of the season in Thursday's contest as they trailed 21-10 with just over six minutes left to play at Lincoln Financial Field.

Wentz instigated the fightback for the injury-hit Eagles, leading a pair of touchdown drives in the fourth quarter and finishing 25-of-43 for 359 yards.

Pederson, who has resisted calls to bench Wentz this season, believes the 27-year-old is fast becoming one of the best around in his position.

"He's taking steps in the right direction to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league," Pederson said.

"Facing adversity down a couple of scores in the fourth quarter, he really hung in there. 

"It wasn't maybe on the stat sheet things looked good, but there were some throws, and there were some decisions I think he would want back. 

"But I'll tell you what, he's the leader of our team for a reason, and you saw that tonight, leading our team down there to get the two scores late in the game."

Brandon Graham sealed the victory by strip sacking Daniel Jones as the Eagles made it eight wins in a row against the Giants and moved into the driving seat in the NFC East.

Wentz, who missed a two-point conversion late on in Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, was happy with the win a game in which his side were not always at their best.

"It was an ugly game," he told FOX Sports. "It was an ugly game, and we left a lot of points out there, lot of plays. 

"But to stay in it, keep believing and keep fighting, and pull it out, I'm proud of these guys.

"This was a huge one for us. It's obviously not been the start to the season that we're looking for. 

"But the NFC East is wide open, and we've got a lot of divisional games coming up, so this was a big one for us."

The Giants had not previously lost a game they had led by 11-plus points in the fourth quarter since going down 38-31 to the Eagles in December 2010.

Head coach Joe Judge is keen to move on from the remarkable collapse with the visit of Tampa Bay Buccaneers up next.

"The focus is not frustration," he said. "The focus is on correcting mistakes and moving forward and that's where we have to steer it as a team."