Eagles’ fans everywhere, including me, weren’t sure what side of Mark Sanchez we would expect to see since he hasn’t started in a football game in two years. If that wasn’t nerve-racking enough, the Eagles received terrible news just before the game. Their starting quarterback, Nick Foles, was expected to be out anywhere from one month to the rest of the season. This means Sanchez, who is the backup for Foles, would have to command the offense. Sanchez would have to deliver and he did just that.

In the end, it is fair to say that he stepped up when the Eagles needed him to. Sanchez completed 20 of his 27 pass attempts and threw for 332 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Eagles stomped the Panthers 45-21. With this game, Sanchez silenced his critics-and Jets fans alike-who liked to laugh and boo him for so many years.

With Sanchez most likely starting for the rest of the season, he’ll have some more impressive games against some extremely tough opponents like the Seahawks and Packers. Nevertheless, Mark Sanchez and the Eagles showed resiliency and proved that they could win without their starting quarterback. No Foles, no problem.