Carson Wentz, and the Eagles for that matter showed they are no push overs this year. Every game in the NFL is going to be a battle. You can’t over look anybody. The Eagles over looked the Detroit Lions in the first half. You can call it rust from the bye week, you could say they didn’t take Detroit seriously, but all I know is throughout this game of ups and downs, the only steady thing was Carson Wentz. Let’s take a look at his numbers from yesterday’s game.
Carson Wentz: 25-33, 238 yards, 2 TD, 1 IN,T, QB Rating- 102.8
The rookie Wentz has had a passer rating of over 100.00 in 3 out of the 4 games that he has started in. That’s unheard of now a days. As soon as we got down 21-7 I said to myself it is going to be put up or shut up time here for the rookie and man he did not disappoint. Like Coach Doug Pederson says about Wentz, “When the pressure is on, that’s when he’s at his best”. He looked calm and cool throughout a game where he easily could have got rattled. He played smart football and guided us back, and along with the waking up of the defense, the Eagles took the lead within the closing minutes of the game.
I don’t want to only talk about stats because I believe that we should use stats to compliment what we see with our own eyes. That’s exactly what is happening here with Carson Wentz. He passes the eye test in every measurable fashion. He had some plays yesterday that really make you take a step back and say WOW. The first one that comes to mind is the back shoulder throw he had to Jordan Matthews on a 2nd and 25. It was a broken play but the rookie QB had the where with all to roll out of the pocket and deliver an absolute strike to Matthews putting the ball only where he could get it. My excitement was tapered on the play because of the flag that was thrown on the play, which was a common occurrence yesterday. His ability to make something out of nothing is really starting to come to the forefront and I believe he has gained the confidence of everyone from the coaches, to the players, to the fans.
Now, another thing that stood out to me was his calmness when pressure would arise on 3rd downs. His conversions of 3rd downs when the pressure was on to put the points on the board should not go unnoticed. He had multiple throughout the game and I thought Coach Pederson would put the ball in his hands to clinch the game on that final 3rd and 2. It was also great to see his running ability with Dougie P calling some zone read options. He’s not going to run a 4.4, 40 yard dash, but you can see his athletic ability in space when he does get the chance.
This kid showed a lot of poise out there for a 23 year old, even though he threw his first pick on a questionable play (I blame Agholor a little) I don’t mind Wentz taking the shot downfield. This was a game that could have gotten ugly quick if there was another quarterback under center. On the road in a hostile environment, he easily could have succumbed to the pressure being faced with a huge deficit. The coaching staff believed in him enough to put the ball in his hands and really show everyone what he can do playing from behind. We all saw what he could do with a lead through the first three games but he showed us that with him at QB we are never out of a game.This is a team sport. So let’s see who stood out and who didn’t.
Who Showed Up:
1.) Carson Wentz- Like i said before, the kid just has it. I believe you can tell right away if a guy has it or doesn’t and something about this kid so far tells me he has it. Refer to my review above.
2.) Darren Sproles- Whether it was catching the ball as a wide receiver or running the ball out of the backfield this guy just seems to have an impact every time he touches it. Him and Wentz seem to be developing a nice chemistry and Coach Pederson is making it a point to get him involved early and often.
3.) Dorial Green-Beckham- Although he had a costly drop that could have potentially clinched the game with a touchdown, he just has that presence to him whenever he is out on the field. Wentz is getting him the ball in open space and DGB is doing the rest. On a 3rd and 8 he took a drag route and ran 26 yards with it almost scoring on the play, showing his ability to separate with the ball in his hands. Dougie P said he would like to increase his snaps and I would hope that he does because the sky is the limit for this young WR.
4.) Nigel Bradham- His snaps were cut in the first half because he was either suspended(gun incident) or defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was just trying a different look. When he was back out there in the second half playing regular snaps, the defense seemed to snap back into shape. If you look at every run play he just seems to be always around the ball. This guy is a play maker for our defense who only surrendered 45 total yards in the second half. Hopefully the league doesn’t suspend him because that would be a major blow.
Who Didn’t Show Up:
1.) Mychal Kendricks- It’s a shame to see how far his play has slipped as of late. I used to think this guy could be a pro bowler year in and year out. He just can’t seem to put it together. He was a mess in the first half. Missing tackles, taking bad angles on players, not showing any instincts. He is starting to look like the weak point of our defense and I’m worried teams will start to attack him even more. Start to pay attention to him next game and you’ll 100% agree with my view.
2.) Ryan Mathews- I don’t want to say he cost us the game because they were many other factors that contributed to it but he just has to know better in that situation. You just can’t fumble the ball in that situation. As a veteran in the league, you have to know better. Other than that he was OK but it’s all about how you finish in this game and that’s what put him on this list.
3.) The whole defense in the first half- No player was excused from this list for that pitiful performance in the first half. 3 possessions for Detroit and 3 touchdowns. There’s no excuse for it. I couldn’t tell you the exact reason for it but it didn’t look like the same team that we’ve been seeing all year so far. To their credit they straightened it out in the second half but we spotted them 21 points and at the end of the day proved costly.
4.) Zach Ertz- I would have liked to see Ertz more involved early on. I don’t know if it was play calling or what but 3 catches for 36 yards just isn’t going to cut it for a guy people thought would have a breakout year. I know he’s just coming back from injury but i expected more from him. One of his catches came in garbage time before half too. I would like to see him more involved earlier next game and see if he can help this offense get going sooner.
CarsonsCornerr.com 