It’s been an up-and-down – mostly down – season for Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles. They started 1-4-1 but have won their last two games, beating a pair of NFC East rivals, the Giants (1-7) and Cowboys (2-6), who are a combined 3-13 this season.
Wentz, in particular, has struggled. He has completed just 58.4 percent of his passes for 1,883 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions through eight games. He’s also taken a league-high 32 sacks.
If you don’t like what you’ve seen from Wentz, well, you’re not alone.
“I am concerned,” former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said on The Zach Gelb Show. “I am concerned because when I watch, it seems he’s trying to do too much, and he’s trying to put too much pressure on his shoulders because of the situation around him. [He’s] holding the football entirely too long. If you’re going to run and scramble and pick up yards, go. Don’t sit and wait for people to try to get open. You don’t have the weapons on the outside to be able to create that much time.”
The Eagles have been ravaged by injuries this season. Wentz’s top weapons are Travis Fulgham, Greg Ward, and Richard Rodgers. While that trio has had its moments, it’s not exactly striking fear into the hearts and minds of opposing defenses.
“To me, he’s trying to force balls into tight windows or place it in places where he feels his receiver can get in, and the DB jumps into the lane,” McNabb said. “I would like to see him protect the football more, get back to the on-schedule plays, [and] get back to three- and five-step [drops] and letting the ball go, trusting his receivers.”
Jalen Hurts, the Eagles' second-round draft pick, has gotten some gadget-play snaps this season. He’s rushed nine times for 51 yards and completed two passes for 27 yards.
Still, McNabb believes Wentz has plenty of job security.
“He’s not looking over his shoulders by any means of Doug [Pederson] making a quarterback change,” McNabb said. “So he’s going to have to deal with the situation and get it cleaned up. I think this bye week will definitely help him if he can come back kind of refocused and recharged and ready to make a push for the playoffs. If he’s able to protect the football a little bit more and convert on third downs and move the chains, then yeah, we’ll start to see a lot change with this offense – and really, with this football team. But if he continues to play the way he’s been playing, it’s going to be maybe a six-game winning season. That’s not acceptable in Philadelphia.”
The Eagles, who are atop the NFC East, have three more games against division rivals, beginning with a road game against the Giants on Nov. 15. If the Eagles win those three games, they will have a good chance of making the playoffs.
But that’s a big if.
“Carson Wentz is their guy, and he should be their guy,” McNabb said. “But he’s just going to have to refocus and recharge to get this thing turned around.”