PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz helped pull out a win Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts in his return from major knee injury, and more importantly, he looked healthy doing so. Here are three key moments that defined an emotionally charged day at Lincoln Financial Field.

A message in the tunnel

Waking to a game day for the first time in 287 days, Wentz found managing his excitement a bit tougher than usual.

"I had to battle those emotions all morning," he told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio, "but it was awesome. "

He listened to worship music pregame to get into the right frame of mind and dove into his routine, which included tossing 60-yard bombs with a flick to get the arm loose. He shared a laugh with Nick Foles and his former offensive coordinator-turned-Colts head coach Frank Reich. When he ran out of the tunnel and through the smoke and was greeted by the delirious home crowd, Wentz said he locked into a zone and it became football again.

Right before it became all business, as Wentz and his good friend Zach Ertz stood side by side in the tunnel during introductions, the tight end took the opportunity to deliver a personal message.

“He knows how I feel about him. One of my best friends in the world," Ertz said. "I’m introduced second to last; he’s introduced last. And just the ability to say, 'I’m proud of you, I’m proud of everything that you have overcome, how you’ve attacked this each and every day,' that was kind of a special moment we had before we ran out onto the field.

"And then, on the second play of the game, he threw a bullet to me, just like old times, and I was like, 'All right, let’s go. It’s time to go.'”

The dive

The lasting image from the Eagles' 20-16 win over the Colts was of Wentz spinning out of the pocket on third down, turning the corner and diving, with arms extended, for the first down along the left sideline. It wasn't the most essential play of the game -- it was at the end of the first half, and time ran out a few plays later -- but it showed that a major injury did not strip Wentz of his mobility or attack mentality.

“That’s just him. That’s the aggressive nature that he plays with," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "Those are the types of plays that you just make, you just do. It’s just instinct. It was a great, great play -- great way to get a first down and keep us on the field.”

Wentz called it a "normal scramble" and "pretty standard" for how he plays the game, and that's true. But to have both the willingness and ability to do that in your first game back is no small thing.

"It changes the game, it extends drives," center Jason Kelce said. "We were one of the best third-down offenses in the NFL with him in there. It’s just another dynamic the defenses have to [deal with]. It’s definitely a dynamic that helps us be successful on offense, and that’s one of the reasons he is a special player.”

Running back Corey Clement agreed.

"Yep, that’s Carson," Clement said. "You have to take the leash off him. That guy ... he’s always wired to do something great.”

The final drive

According to his teammates, Wentz did not make any big speeches leading up to the Colts game to mark his return. He did drive home a main point while talking in smaller circles: the need to get back to playing "Eagles football," which equates to being dominant in the run game and highly efficient on third down and in the red zone.

But it was his words in the huddle during the long, game-winning drive on Sunday that really seemed to resonate.

The 17-play, 75-yard march ate up 11:18 of game clock in the fourth quarter and resulted in a go-ahead touchdown from running back Wendell Smallwood. But it was an ugly sucker. It started with the Eagles going in the wrong direction: a sack and holding penalty on back-to-back plays, resulting in a second-and-26 from their own 20.

"I just told the guys, let’s get half of this, let’s get at least half of this and get it into third-and-manageable -- just stay together. Everyone was kind of up in arms over the [penalty], and I said, ‘Hey, stay together. Let’s stay on track.’"

Ertz offered his take.

“It was just a message of positivity," Ertz said. "Don’t worry, don’t get too anxious about it. Do your job. Just the message of positivity that no matter what we’re facing, no matter what adversity we’re facing, we’re going to get the job done.”

On the next play, Ertz drew a defensive holding penalty, giving the Eagles a fresh set of downs.

Another defensive holding call on fourth-and-5 later in the drive kept the epic series going. The Eagles converted three third downs, a fourth down and overcame a second-and-forever in what the players pointed to as a sequence demonstrating will and perseverance -- two of Wentz's more obvious traits.

“His presence is always known. He’s always very vocal in every aspect," Kelce said. "He’s always communicating with us -- from the receivers to the O-line to running backs -- what he wants, what he thinks, what he likes. That little bit of controlling competitiveness that he has is something that you can’t help but notice on offense.”