Of all players on Eagles roster, Carson Wentz was probably the one fans were most anxious to see last week. He was unquestionably the most important too, as the season likely goes as far as he takes it.
After ending last season in week 11 and not seeing the field at all in preseason games, some rust was to be expected. That rust disappeared faster than anyone expected!
Wentz completed 28 passes, a percentage of 71.8 %, for 313 yards and 3 TDs. Add 0 interceptions to that performance, and it already sounds impressive.
Perfect under pressure after settling in
As if his passer rating of 121.0 wasn’t enough, he was even more incredible when pressured.
Wentz was under pressure on 11 dropbacks, of which he completed 9 passes for 141 yards and 2 TDs, good for a perfect rating of 158.3. Especially on the 9th and final drive of the game, Wentz displayed poise in the pocket, mobility when scrambling, keeping his eyes downfield and remained calm:
Timing on point
From the private workouts to the long training camp, you could tell Wentz had a feel for the timing, both with returning guys like Ertz and Alshon, but also with new guy Desean Jackson.
The ball was thrown consistently at the turn of the route, creating limited room for error for the DBs. Further, for a smaller player like DJax, it meant limiting big hits, as Jackson could catch it, establish as a runner, and then go down or out of bounds.
Connecting with Desean Jackson early
This is invaluable. DJax thrives on confidence, on swagger, and can spark an entire team with energy when needed.
He did just that on Sunday with 8 catches, 6 3rd down conversions, 154 yards, and 2 TDs. And boy were they pretty.
The first touchdown came on the 4th drive midway in the second half and was much needed:
The second came on drive number 7:
“It felt great. To have him out here, creating the dynamic element that he does for our offense, and I know the city if pretty fired up to have him back here.” Wentz said of his shiny new wide receiver. “To do that at home, I know means a lot for him; and for this team, to get us going the way he did was huge for us. That’s just him and I going through the entire offseason together. Just working on our chemistry and how we see coverages. We made those plays in those cases and it was good to see.”
Wentz looked comfortable and confident in the pocket, no longer held back by the knee brace or back injury. Able to scan through his reads and decisively cut his way through the opposing defense, the face of the franchise looked the best we’ve seen him in a long time.
What to expect vs Falcons
It’s the first road game of the season and it’s being played in a dome. Expect the offense to click faster than on Sunday. They are playing a very different defense that relies more on speed than that of Washington.
Last time Wentz played the Falcons was in 2016, as he was injured in both the wildcard game in 2017 and first game of the 2018 season. Wentz will look to show just how far he’s come since then.
