Thoughts From Eagles-Seahawks

Wentz Meltdown At Forefront Of Another Loss

Carson Wentz was outright brutal this afternoon in a loss that saw the Eagles generate just three points of offense before garbage time. It was a truly hideous performance by the quarterback.

Wentz left four points on the field early in the game, sailing a pass way over the head of a wide open Miles Sanders in the flat.

On the second drive, Wentz killed momentum with a fumble.

Later in the second quarter, Wentz underthrew Dallas Goedert, resulting in an interception, which also likely cost the team at least a field goal attempt.

Wentz would lose another fumble and throw another interception in the second half, bringing his turnover count to four for the day.

Throughout the game, Wentz’s body language looked poor. He was jittery in the pocket, and looked uncomfortable all day.

In a game that was a one-score, 10-3 affair most of the day, a showing like this is just unacceptable.

If Carson wasn’t a popular figure in the locker room before, this is the kind of effort that likely lost him some support in the locker room.

For the second straight week, the defense played their hearts out to keep the team in the game. And their reward for their efforts was to see their quarterback go out and miss throws, turn the ball over, and fail to take advantage of what was a very winnable game at home.

Quick Thoughts

Offense

• I don’t think Doug Pederson did his struggling quarterback any favors. Much like last week, I felt there were too many times where the Eagles got away from the run. Miles Sanders and Jay Ajayi were running the ball effectively throughout the game, yet just as they were beginning to establish momentum, Pederson would put the run away, and put the ball into Wentz’s hands.
• J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has shown some flashes over the last two games, making it even more perplexing that the Eagles haven’t been able to get him more involved. Then again, this is an offense under Mike Groh’s direction, who infamously last year stated something to the effect that it was too challenging to get Golden Tate worked into the offense.
• Greg Ward flashed as well, catching six passes, turning three of which into third-down conversions. Why did it take this long to get him active, especially with how bad Nelson Agholor has been all season? Seeing Arcega-Whiteside and Ward play well when given the opportunity is not a good look for this coaching staff, especially when the offense has been so desperate for sparks all season.
• Dallas Goedert’s fumble in the second half was an embarrassment. For a guy who declared himself the fourth best tight end in the league early in the season, he’s had far too many fumbles and drops this season. The talent is there with Goedert, but let’s pump the brakes on that talk of moving on from Zach Ertz.
• As if Wentz’s struggles weren’t bad enough, the Eagles also had to bench first-round pick Andre Dillard today, making his first start at right tackle. Dillard was getting pushed around, the Eagles opted instead to with Big V in the second half, and Matt Pryor at right guard.
• Pryor had a couple of nice moments, including a crushing block on Ezekial Ansah, but was also flagged for a hold.

Defense

• The Eagles defense did very well to keep the team in the game, but things could have easily been worse. D.K. Metcalf dropped several passes down the field, including a touchdown.
• Nigel Bradham returned the lineup, picking up nine tackles and adding a little more stability to the unit.
• The defense picked up six sacks on the day.
• Malcolm Jenkins was in on two of them, including one on a third down.
• Big game from Rodney McLeod, who came down with an interception off of a tipped ball from Ronald Darby, and also recorded a sack.

Final Thoughts

Nick Foles isn’t coming to save the season this time.

If the Eagles have any chance to make the playoffs, Carson Wentz has got to be better than the sorry efforts he’s put forth in the last couple of weeks.

If I have to hear the excuse that Carson Wentz has “nobody” around him one more time, I’m going to lose my mind. To be clear, I’m not down on Wentz long-term, but the simple fact of the matter is he hasn’t been very good. In fact, he’s been bad. It’s starting to get a little concerning.

The mark of a truly great quarterback is on display when they make the guys around them better.

The opposite of that are quarterbacks that fall into the Sam Bradford mold, constantly falling back on to built-in excuses, whether it be injury, supporting cast, or play calling, while never delivering on the supposed potential within.