The Year of Carson
Posted: December 14th, 2019 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on The Year of CarsonCarson Wentz played at an MVP level in 2017 and looked like one of the best QBs in the league. His ACL injury from late that year made 2018 mostly a lost season.
What about 2019?
This has been one strange, confusing season. Wentz hit DeSean Jackson for a pair of deep bombs on opening day and the Eagles looked like they would be an explosive offense. The two best receivers got hurt the next week, but Wentz still made some sensational throws.
https://twitter.com/IcyWentz/status/1204910618316361728
Amazing.
And if Nelson Agholor had good hands, the Eagles would have had the lead in the final minutes of the game.
Things after that were not so smooth, for a variety of reasons. The skill players were erratic. The OL was inconsistent. Weather was a factor in multiple games.
And if we’re being honest, Wentz was inconsistent as well. He made some bad reads. He made some bad throws. Wentz hasn’t protected the ball as well as he should have.
Things may have changed on Monday night. Doug Pederson said he thought that was Wentz’s best game since coming to the NFL. It wasn’t just that Wentz played well. The circumstances made a significant difference.
The Eagles were down 14 points in the second half. Wentz was missing his RT, his top three receivers and his top two RBs. Wentz was excellent in the second half, going 22-31-228 with a pair of TDs. He led the team to the tying TD late in the game and the go-ahead TD in overtime.
Beyond the numbers, Wentz passed the eye test. He looked great in the fourth quarter. He played with confidence. Wentz played with energy. We haven’t seen enough of that guy in 2019.
The big question here is whether that was a late game anomaly or if a switch got flipped. QBs can be streaky. If Monday night was the start of a hot streak, that could be huge for Wentz and for the Eagles.
This team needs Wentz to be at his best in the final few weeks. One way to make up for a depleted set of skill players is to have a QB playing at a high level. If Wentz is at his best, the Eagles can play with anyone.
As for Wentz, he’s been trying to get his mojo back since 2017. There have been great moments. There have been great games. But Wentz hasn’t been able to play lights out for an extended period. Maybe that has changed.
It would be ironic if the thing that got Wentz going was playing with the likes of Boston Scott, Greg Ward and Josh Perkins. They could prove to be the practice squad players who woke up the star quarterback.
The Eagles will have Robert Davis on Sunday. He’ll be making his Eagles debut. Nelson Agholor could be returning to the lineup. It will be interesting to see what both guys do. Davis isn’t going to step on the field and become a workhorse, but his speed and size makes him intriguing. Agholor could be energized by seeing the new guys play well or he could be threatened. He’s a hard player to read.
Sunday will give us a big clue about whether Wentz is a changed man or if that was just a fun game.
*****
Did you know the Eagles had the most sacks in NFL history? This is really cool.
this just blew my mind pic.twitter.com/TOItBOGEwZ
— Jamie Lynch (@jelynchjr) December 12, 2019
Let’s hope the team adds to that total on Sunday.
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