It's easy to be a Carson Wentz fan. And, it's easy to be a hater. Both things can be true even in the same game.
The Washington Commanders' new quarterback shook off two interceptions that nearly gave the Jacksonville Jaguars a chance to steal a victory on Sunday. But, Wentz then showed his big arm and guile for two touchdowns to lead Washington to a 28-22 win.
Wentz is a better version of former Redskins passer Rex Grossman. Going to make some killer mistakes, but even more capable than "Sexy Rexy" of big plays. The 49-yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin was a perfect play. Finding Jahan Dotson for the game-winning score with 1:46 remaining was pure veteran moxie.
Hop on the bandwagon, but strap in for a bumpy ride. Then again, people like roller coasters. They're not boring.
"We're going to ride with him," coach Ron Rivera said. "No matter how you look at it, we're gonna ride with him. We'll go with the good, we'll go with the bad, but that's the truth of the matter."
The season opener was a light throwback to the days of RFK Stadium seldom seen at FedEx Field. There was only a smattering of Jags fans among the 58,192, a very large crowd for a non-NFC East game or marquee opponent. Fans cheered "Let’s go Redskins" in the first Commanders game while wearing old and new apparel. They were loud when the visitors had the ball.
We'll see what happens when the Philadelphia Eagles visit on Sept. 25. Will local fans freeze out Eagles buyers after recent years of heavy Philly crowds? Is Washington ready to believe this new offense led by Wentz on his third team can be one of the NFL's top scoring machines?
Wentz made a solid impression that his strengths and weaknesses are still an overall plus. Rivera was impressed Wentz shook off two bad throws that led to 14 Jacksonville points by rallying his new teammates.
"Well, first off, [Wentz] comes to the sideline after the second one and kind of beat the ground a little bit." Rivera said. "But we both looked at each other and I said, 'Hey, we're gonna have to win this.' And he said 'Yeah, I will.' And just walked away. He said it so confidently and that was good to see.
"Watching him with [offensive coordinator] Scott [Turner] and Scott just going over and talking to him like, 'Hey, we've got to get past this. We've got more football left.' So I think because of who he is and because of his ability to be able to brush things off, I think that's a pretty strong person."
Wentz took a bottom line approach from the game – only winning matters.
"Obviously, like I said, coming off of a rough stretch, started fast, rough stretch there in the middle, but to kind of rally together and get it done when it mattered at the end," he said. "That was cool. Cool way to start. I mean, it is hard to win in this league and so it doesn't matter how it looks. It doesn't matter any of those things in the last couple minutes of the game, you find a way to get it done. That's what good teams do and we did that."
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
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