PHILADELPHIA -- Carson Wentz plays daredevil football, the repaired ligaments in his left knee be damned, and so it was no surprise that he honored his return to pro football Sunday with a schoolyard dive that was worth far more than six second-quarter yards and what would prove to be an irrelevant first down.

A franchise quarterback needs great desire to complement his great talent, and there is no question Wentz comes packaged with ample supplies of both. So inside the final minute of the first half, from his own 32-yard line, Wentz spun away from two hard-rushing defenders, veered left and leaned on his speed and athleticism as two-thirds of the Indianapolis Colts' roster gave chase.

Wentz did not see an opportunity to save his recovering body for another rainy day. He saw only the marker near the Philadelphia Eagles' sideline, and he took off headfirst -- Superman style -- as he went flying out of bounds.

The Eagles did nothing more with a possession that played no statistical role in their 20-16 victory over the Colts, and yet that singular play illustrated why they might win this season's Super Bowl with Wentz like they won last season's Super Bowl with Nick Foles. The kid wants to be great. As much as his attack-mode style of play got him hurt against the Rams last December, and as much as that style might get him hurt again, Wentz has the requisite character traits of a champion. Players want to play for him.

"I thought it was just a normal scramble to me," Wentz would say. "Obviously, made a guy miss in the pocket and saw the first-down marker and dove for it. Pretty standard for me."

Carson Wentz had a touchdown pass -- to rookie Dallas Goedert (88) -- in his return to the field. Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports

At the time he was speaking, Wentz was wearing an outfit that wasn't pretty standard for anyone. His was wearing a neon-green jacket against a white shirt and pale skin that would've made him look a bit leprechaun-ish, if not for his 6-foot-5 frame. The quarterback called the sensation of getting hit for the first time in more than nine months, and then popping back up again, "like riding a bike." Wentz said the first time he got rocked by an opponent "felt great."

Two games ago, it was written here that Philly should ride Foles until it was clear the magic was going, going, gone ... until he lost two out of three, or something along those lines, before handing the ball to the more gifted player. But as they proved against the Patriots in February, the Eagles don't mess around. As soon as Wentz's knee was good to go, they escorted Foles back to the bench and told the second overall pick in the 2016 draft to let it rip.

"You have to take the leash off him," running back Corey Clement said. "That guy -- he's always wired to do something great."