In Carson Wentz’s first start with the Washington Commanders, his new team got a full glimpse into his strengths and weaknesses in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As he squared off with his former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, Wentz and the Commanders took a 14-3 lead into halftime. Now 29, Wentz connected on first-half touchdowns with Curtis Samuel and first-round pick Jahan Dotson.
To their credit, the Jaguars would score 19 unanswered points to open the second half, including two touchdowns from running back James Robinson.
And for as well as Wentz played in the first half, he was picked off twice in the second half. The second of those picks came from No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker, who blew up an attempted screen pass to intercept Wentz early in the fourth quarter:
But just as it felt like the story of the game would be Wentz's interceptions, the pendulum swung back in the other direction.
With 9:36 left in the fourth quarter, Wentz connected with Terry McLaurin for a 49-yard touchdown pass to bring them within two:
Wentz was sacked on a two-point conversion attempt, which would have tied the game. That kept the Commanders at a 22-20 deficit.
After Washington's defense forced a three-and-out, it took Wentz and the Commanders just four plays to score the go-ahead touchdown, as he again found Dotson in the end zone:
For a game with a ton of connections to eastern Pennsylvania already, Dotson only added to the mix. Before he starred at Penn State, Dotson attended Nazareth High School, an hour and 10 minute drive from Lincoln Financial Field. The No. 16 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft finished the day with just three catches for 40 yards, but he score on two of those three receptions.
Darrick Forrest would ultimately pick Trevor Lawrence off, handing Wentz and the Commanders a 28-22 Week 1 victory.
What did we learn from Week 1? The Commanders are probably going to be competitive. But the same things that will make Wentz a massive upgrade over the quarterback play that Washington received a year ago could also doom them. Sunday, the Commanders got their first look at the Wentz experience, which won't be without turbulence.
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