Carson Wentz went from the Washington Commanders starting quarterback, to injured reserve, to being Taylor Heinicke's backup, to being Ron Rivera's starter again in the span of just 10 weeks.
For the second time in two seasons, Wentz is quarterbacking a team in position to make the playoffs with two games remaining and he knows how much it means to his team.
"We have a shot to control our own destiny, and to get to this point in the season after everything we’ve been through as a team, I think it means a lot to us," Wentz told the media Wednesday. "We all know where we're at, we all know what we're capable of and what we're up against. It's exciting for us as a team and obviously, I'm excited for my opportunity as well."
Wentz, who saw his first action in Sunday's loss since he sustained a finger injury in the win over the Chicago Bears in mid-October, said it "felt good to be back out there."
"Nothing was perfect by any means," Wentz admitted, "but it felt like it had been a long time coming to some extent with the injury and everything that had transpired, so it was just fun to finally get back out there and face live bullets and everything. Again, it wasn't perfect, but I thought it was overall exciting for me to just get that chance."
While he spent a few weeks on the sideline, Wentz believes his off-field preparations mean he is ready to step back into the starting role.
“I wasn’t just out and away from everybody,” Wentz said. “I was still in every meeting, trying to learn and trying to grow within this offense and take every chance I could to get better and further my understanding for this opportunity. I think by no means do I got it all figured out.
"Just trying to see understand [the offense] from another perspective when you're not going out there and having to play and go through it and all the other things that come with being the starter. Been able to kinda understand [the offense] a little bit deeper and, hopefully, recall quicker.”
After entering in the fourth quarter, Wentz went 12 of 16 for 123 yards and a touchdown and a 70.5 QBR and 117.5 passer rating against the San Francisco 49ers. Heinicke went 13 of 18 for 166 yards with two touchdowns good for an 84.1 QBR and 114.6 passer rating Sunday, but a pair of costly turnovers led to his benching.
“It sucks,” Heinicke said about being relegated to the sidelines for Week 17. “Every guy in this locker room should feel like they should start. If you don’t, then you shouldn’t be in this league. But, yeah, it is what it is. Again, I’m going to try to be the best backup I can be.”
"Obviously, you want to play, but it’s out of my hands now,” he added.
But Heinicke said he plans to support Wentz just like he supported him when he was the starter.
"They made the decision, and I’m going to try to be the best backup I can be to Carson," Heinicke said. "Two-and-a-half years ago, I was out of the league, and you just want to stay in it as long as you can. So hopefully this year has bought me a couple more years at least.”
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