PHILADELPHIA -- Nick Foles is many things to many people -- a championship quarterback, a Super Bowl MVP, a feel-good underdog, and a best-selling author to boot. But his near future might be defined by one thing he most certainly is not:

Carson Wentz.

Wentz is a thoroughbred, an athletic marvel already identified as LeBron James' favorite NFL player. Before he blew out his knee in December, Wentz appeared poised to carry the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl title they won instead with Foles, widely regarded as a one-trick pony who would remain in place, under center, only until Wentz was ready to go.

And Thursday night's 18-12 victory over Atlanta at Lincoln Financial Field did little to disabuse anyone of that notion. Foles won ugly -- really, really ugly -- completing 19 of 34 passes for a lousy 117 yards and no touchdown passes, carrying his disappointing preseason into the regular-season opener.

But Foles did win. He did survive the $150 million local boy, Matt Ryan, and this matchup between the team that should have beaten the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and the team that did. In fact, even after Wentz gets the all clear from his doctors, Foles should continue to start for the Eagles until he proves he can no longer outscore the opposing quarterback on a regular basis.

Until, you know, he loses two out of three.

Nick Foles completed 19 of 34 passes for just 117 yards with no touchdown passes and an interception. Photo by James Lang/USA TODAY Sports

Assuming good health, Wentz is going to be an imposing force in the NFL; of this there is little doubt. Foles? He isn't much to look at, and he is the ultimate streak shooter. His highs are ridiculously high and his lows are ridiculously low, and at some point his physical limitations will make it obvious that the ball needs to be in Wentz's hands.

The Eagles should ride Foles all the way to that point. He has earned that much, anyway, after lighting up Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game before doing the same to the Patriots in Minneapolis, sending the sport's all-time coach (Bill Belichick) and quarterback (Tom Brady) spiraling into an offseason both would prefer to forget.

Philadelphia honored its Super Bowl LII conquest Thursday night with a weather-delayed pregame ceremony at the Linc, and with a hard jab at the Patriots during the third quarter, when Eagles coach Doug Pederson called for "Philly Philly," the fourth-and-goal trick play punctuated by Foles' touchdown catch against New England in the Super Bowl -- with a twist. This time around, Pederson didn't call for the snap to be sent directly to running back Corey Clement, but to Foles himself, who gave the ball to Clement before the running back pitched it to Nelson Agholor. The receiver threw a third-down strike to Foles near the sideline, effectively replicating the Super Bowl play New England ran when Danny Amendola threw to a wide-open Brady.