Carson Wentz Is Set to Silence the Critics in the 2019 Season
Ever since Carson Wentz suffered his second season-ending injury in two straight seasons, the noise surrounding Wentz’s ability to be a franchise quarterback has been apparent.
With a full and healthy offseason ahead of him and a slew of new weapons being brought in on offense, Wentz is set to silence the critics in the 2019 season.
The negative rumblings about Wentz first began after he suffered a torn ACL, LCL and other damage to his left knee in the Eagles week 14 game against the Los Angeles Rams. The injury ended what was looking to be an MVP-caliber season from Wentz, and forced him to be on the sidelines, watching Nick Foles lead the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl victory.
Between some of the media and fans, doubt slowly became noticeable about the trustworthy of Wentz, and whether the team should consider starting Foles over him. However, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson quickly diffused the possibility of that, reaffirming that it was Wentz’s team.
When the 2018 season rolled around, Wentz still wasn’t healthy enough to be the teams starting quarterback, which was to be expected considering the timing from his surgery to when week one was. Wentz’s absence on the field allowed the noise to become a bit louder, with the question frequently being asked: if Foles plays like he did in the playoffs with Wentz out, could the Eagles really bench the Super Bowl MVP for a guy coming off a multi-ligament knee injury?
Foles played well in the first two weeks of the season, but not at the same level of his memorable run in the playoffs earlier in the year. Either way, Wentz was still going to be the teams starting quarterback whenever he was ready, and when week 3 came around, he was.
The announcement of Wentz being cleared to play drew a wide amount of excitement, except for the pro-Foles people. Wentz was back on the field, but the microscope was still focused on him, with every game seeming like a prove-it game to the doubters.
Statistically, Wentz played well in his return, throwing for 3,074 yards, 21 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a QBR of 102.2. In comparison to the 2017 season, Wentz averaged more 25.91 yards per game in 2018, but his touchdown-to-interception ratio was 1.71 lower. Wentz arguably played just as good in his 2018 season as he did in his near-MVP-caliber 2017 season, but the team’s success largely was viewed as the biggest knock on Wentz. The most glaringly bad game on Wentz’s resume in 2018 was the 48-7 loss at New Orleans in week 11, where Wentz threw for just 156 yards and had three interceptions. With Wentz as the quarterback in 2018, the Eagles were just 5-6.
Then, after the week 13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the nightmare from 2017 seemed to be happening again.
Wentz missed practice due to back stiffness, which was something he reportedly dealt with earlier in the season, but he never missed an entire practice because of it. Just a few days later, Wentz’s fate was known: he suffered a fractured vertebra in his back, and while the team tried to keep the door open for a potential return (should the Eagles make the playoffs), it was clear Wentz’s season was over. Ironically enough, Wentz had his season cut to an end on week 14 yet again.
Two season-ending injuries in back-to-back years, what could get worse for Wentz? Well, Foles, who is a very good friend of Wentz, made the situation around Wentz that much more difficult.
The Eagles were faced with a daunting task: win the final three games of the season (@ Rams, vs Texans, @ Redskins), along with some help, to clinch a wild card spot.
Going into the game against the Rams, the Eagles were all but counted out before kickoff. The secondary was absolutely decimated, the Eagles had no trustworthy running back, and their starting quarterback wasn’t going to play. Then, Foles worked his magic again.
The Eagles shocked the football world, beating the Rams 30-23. The next week, the Eagles had a walk-off win against the Texans thanks to a Jake Elliot field goal.
The Eagles were still alive, with a simple, yet difficult situation for week 17 to inevitably make the playoffs: beat the Redskins, and the Vikings lose at home to the Bears.
Foles played well in the regular season finale, completing nearly 85% of his passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, and the Eagles rolled the Redskins by a score of 24-0. Sure enough, the Vikings lost at home to the Bears, and the Eagles were in the playoffs, set to face the team that helped get them in the playoffs.
In the 2017 playoff run, the Eagles had the luxury of playing at home for every game up to the Super Bowl. In 2018, Foles had to lead the Eagles on the road, in a frigid environment, against the NFL’s best defense.
Down the stretch in the wild-card matchup, Foles began to turn on the pressure against the stifling Bears defense, and was eventually faced with a situation that made everyone say “of course this is happening”.
The Eagles were down 15-10 in the fourth quarter, needing a touchdown to have any chance of winning the game. The Eagles marched down the field, and eventually were faced with a fourth-and-goal with the clock running under one minute left. Foles rolled out to the right, and slung a pass right to Golden Tate’s hands for a touchdown. The magic continued. After the infamous “double doink” by Cody Parkey, the Eagles survived on the road. Awaiting the Eagles was the team that blew them out by 41 points earlier in the season, the New Orleans Saints.
That’s when the noise was amplified about Wentz; if Wentz can’t even compete with the Saints and Foles is able to beat them in the playoffs, how could the Eagles stick with Wentz going forward?
The Eagles quickly went up 14-0 against the Saints and were looking unbeatable. It was like the 2017 run was really going to happen again, with the Rams, who have yet to beat the Eagles under Pederson, awaiting the birds, and a rematch in the Super Bowl against the Patriots looking like destiny. Instead, the Saints came roaring back, scoring 20 unanswered points. The Eagles season came to an end once Foles’ pass to Alshon Jeffery slipped through his hands for an interception.
Foles couldn’t beat the Saints, but how he played at the end of the season and the success the team had with him starting thoroughly brought back the controversial conversation regarding Wentz.
The argument being made somewhat made sense, too. In the teams two playoff runs, Wentz was out with a significant injury, and Foles was consistently winning games. Sure, the Eagles traded two first round picks to be able to draft Wentz, but they could always trade him to receive a similar return, right?
That wasn’t what Pederson, Howie Roseman, and the Eagles had in mind, though. The team stuck to their guns and profoundly said Wentz was the Eagles quarterback of the future. The Eagles didn’t even franchise tag Foles, despite having the opportunity of trading him for draft picks. The Eagles wanted to prove Wentz was their guy, and they did just that.
That was just the start of recent positives for Wentz’s tenure in Philadelphia. The Eagles added some major talent in the offseason, trading for wide receiver DeSean Jackson and running back Jordan Howard. The Eagles also drafted running back Miles Sanders, wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and left tackle Andre Dillard to be Wentz’s future bodyguard. Now, the Eagles are reportedly in contract extension talks with Wentz and his agent.
The Eagles are fully committed to Wentz and his success. With OTAs arriving, the vision of Wentz leading the team to a Super Bowl is now in motion.
Wentz has no limitations for OTAs and he even was allowed to ditch the bulky knee brace that he wore every time he stepped on a football field in 2018. Wentz was seen throwing the ball all over the field, including to the newly-acquired Jackson and Arcega-Whiteside, Zach Ertz, who caught the most passes in a single season by a tight end in 2018, and Dallas Goedert, who is primed to have a huge year in his second season in the NFL.
The fact that Wentz is of full health this early in the offseason is absolutely crucial to his potential success in 2019, as well. In 2018, he didn’t have the luxury of being able to get in rhythm with the players on offense or workout with the wide receivers in North Dakota. Instead, he had to devote all of his time and energy towards rehabbing his knee in an attempt to get on the field as soon as possible.
In 2018, Wentz statistically still had a solid season, even without that precious time in the offseason. Just imagine what he can do in 2019, with a full offseason of practice, and with better weapons on offense than ever.
It’s impossible to predict health, but Wentz seems to be putting himself in a situation to stay healthy for the long run. Wentz said he changed his diet this offseason and focused more on strengthening his body to increase his endurance, which should pay dividends throughout the season.
When Wentz steps on the field in 2019, he won’t have a surgically-repaired knee nagging him anymore, which very well could have forced him to over-torque in his throws and possibly sparking the back injury. This time around, with arguably the biggest season upcoming in his football life coming up, he’ll be able to play with the utmost confidence in his body and his game.
There is no guarantee of anything regarding Wentz’s health or his play. However, Wentz is perfectly set up and primed to diffuse what everyone’s been saying since December 10, 2017: that he is injury prone and that he isn’t worthy of being the franchise quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Photo: Matt Rourke/AP
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Eagles