What is going on with Carson Wentz?
Yes, the Eagles beat the Cowboys on Sunday to improve to 3-4-1 finding themselves atop the weakest division in football, but the story is the lackluster play of the Eagles' starting QB.
Doug Pederson says the biggest difference between Wentz over the last season and a half and his 2017 season is stability.
"I look back to '17, right? 2017. I know everybody, and probably you included [Angelo], we go back and we compare to '17 when he had an MVP type season. I can honestly tell you, if there's a common denominator, we had stability around Carson Wentz," Pederson told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Monday. "We had three receivers, three tight ends, and running backs—we didn't have the moving parts that we had last year, already in the first part of the season, different offensive line changes. We had stability and as an offense we had continuity. That to me has been probably the biggest difference between then and now. Listen, we're holding this thing together. Our guys are battling their tails off every Sunday and Sunday night, Monday. We've gotta keep it together until we get all of our guys back and that's coming pretty soon."
The most concerning part of Wentz's play are the turnovers. From 2017-2019, Wentz threw 21 interceptions combined. This season, he already has 12 after throwing two more on Sunday night vs. the Cowboys, which is the most in the NFL. On top of that, he also lost two more fumbles, bringing his 2020 season total to four fumbles lost and 16 total turnovers.
"He has to do better there," Pederson acknowledged when asked about Wentz turning the ball over. "He has to protect the football. He knows that, we know that, and that is a frustrating thing. Our success right now has to be protecting the football. Until we get all of our guys back, we can't just lineup and just dominate, necessarily. You see us kind of go off schedule from time to time and throw in a gadget play, or you see Jalen Hurts in the game, that's helping us create—in these first eight games—it's helped up create explosive plays.
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"I know a lot of it is pointed at the quarterback because he touches the ball all of the time, but we gotta look at big picture too. We've gotta look at protection, we've gotta look at routes, are guys open? Is it scheme? Is it on us as coaches? Do I have to call a better play in situations? It's just a lot of things that go into that, but we know—and I think he knows—that we have got to take better care of the football in order for us to have success."