PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles signed Mark Sanchez to a one-year deal last March for just this kind of situation.

Coach Chip Kelly wanted a backup with ample starting experience who wouldn’t be in over his head if something happened to his starting quarterback, Nick Foles.

Well, something happened to Foles last week. He fractured his collarbone when he was driven into the ground by Houston Texans linebacker Whitney Mercilus in the first quarter of the Eagles’ 31-21 win. Foles will be sidelined 6-8 weeks.

Sanchez stepped in and played pretty well, completing 15 of 22 pass and averaging 9.2 yards per attempt as the Eagles improved their record to 6-2. He also threw two interceptions.

Monday night, Sanchez will make his first NFL start in nearly two years against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field.

Sanchez, who was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft by the New York Jets, spent five seasons in the Big Apple and started 62 games. There were some good times – two AFC Championship Game appearances – and a lot of bad ones.

He spent last season on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He was released after the season and signed with the Eagles. He said sitting behind Foles for the first half of the season gave him an opportunity to “get a bird’s-eye-view of everything, put that New York experience in its place and take with me a lot of the things that went well. So now, hopefully, I’m a better version of myself, the best version of myself for this Monday night game.”

Foles, who led the league in passing last season, had struggled this year. His 81.4 passer rating is nearly 40 points lower than his ’13 rating. After throwing just two interceptions in 317 pass attempts last year, he has 10 in 312 this year.

If Sanchez plays well in Foles’ absence, he could wrestle the starting job from him and earn a second contract with the team. At the very least, it would make him an attractive free agent next March.

“As far as next week, next season, I’m really not worried about it,” Sanchez said. “I promise you I’m (only) focused on Carolina. I got plenty on my mind just this week.”

The Eagles ran the ball a season-high 40 times last week against the Texans and figure to continue to lean heavily on LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles and Chris Polk to help take the pressure off of Sanchez.

What they need from Sanchez is the same thing they wanted – and didn’t get this season – from Foles: a quarterback who isn’t going to turn the ball over.

Foles had 13 turnovers in seven starts. Turnovers also have been Sanchez’s biggest enemy. He has 91 (71 interceptions, 20 lost fumbles) in 63 NFL games.

“I think we can call the game in a very similar way, regardless of whether Nick or Mark is playing quarterback for us,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. “We did it the other night. Mark came in in a backup role, and we didn’t call the game any differently than if Nick was in there.

“Now, there are certain things that maybe Mark likes a little bit better than Nick. And those are things we’ll tailor (to him), though it may not be obvious to the casual observer.”

SERIES HISTORY: Ninth meeting. Eagles lead the series, 5-3. They last faced each other two years ago in Philadelphia, with the Panthers beating the Eagles, 30-22. The Panthers’ most significant win over the Eagles was a 14-3 win in the ’03 AFC Championship Game in Philly.

MEDICAL WATCH:

–OL Todd Herremans was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a torn bicep in his left arm. Herremans tried to play with it Sunday against Houston, but wasn’t very effective. Matt Tobin, who has started the last five games in place of injured Evan Mathis, will move to right guard and replace Herremans Monday night against Carolina.

–LG Evan Mathis, who has missed the last seven games with an MCL sprain in his right knee, was activated from short-term injured reserve Wednesday and will start Monday against Carolina. Mathis, a first-team All-Pro last season, has been practicing for more than a week and has made a complete recovery.

–S Nate Allen, who missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury, practiced Wednesday and is expected to play this week against Carolina. He was replaced last week by second-year man Earl Wolff.

GAMEPLAN – With center Jason Kelce back in the lineup last week, the Eagles got back to running the ball. They ran the ball 40 times for 190 yards in their 31-21 win over Houston. They will lean on the run again Monday night against a Carolina team that has allowed 4.8 yards per carry.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

–Eagles RB LeSean McCoy vs. Panthers MLB Luke Kuechly. McCoy has rushed for 100-plus yards in two of the past three games. Kuechly, one of the league’s top inside linebackers, always is around the ball, but the Panthers have allowed 4.8 yards per carry.

–Eagles CBs Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams vs. Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin, a 6-5, 240-pound rookie, is outstanding at high-pointing the football. Fletcher and Williams were brought in to defend against bigger wideouts like Benjamin.

–Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin vs. Panthers CBs Josh Norman and Antoine Cason. Norman and Cason are average corners. Maclin is on fire. He has 18 catches and four touchdowns in the past two games.