Tag: carson wentz sacked

The 2020 NFL season started off well for the Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Carson Wentz. They were off to a 17-0 lead over Washington Football Team, and their second touchdown of the game came on a beautiful touch throw from Wentz to tight end Dallas Goedert. But then the offense began to struggle. Wentz threw an interception before halftime that led to points for Washington, and before long the comeback was on.

So what can Wentz and the Eagles’ offense do going forward?

It starts with the protection up front.

Take this play from late in the third quarter. The Eagles still have a three-point lead, and they are starting a drive deep in their own territory. But Wentz is forced off his spot in the pocket, and misses on a chance to connect with DeSean Jackson on a crossing route:

Rookie Chase Young is first to flush Wentz here, as he attacks left tackle Jason Peters with a speed rush which forces the QB to try and climb the pocket. But that is when Wentz runs into defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis, who beats right tackle Jack Driscoll and runs straight into the quarterback, hitting him as he releases the throw.

Now, if you are an Eagles, fan, there is perhaps a silver lining in that previously-described storm cloud: Driscoll is starting in place of Philadelphia’s usual right tackle, Lane Johnson. The veteran right tackle was inactive with an ankle injury but should return this season. Furthermore, Peters was starting in place of Andre Dillard, who was lost for the season with a bicep injury. So part of the issue is some shuffling up front that could get sorted out with Johnson returning to the lineup.

However, there is another issue at play:

Wentz himself.

Part of what makes Carson Wentz a great quarterback to watch is his play style. He fights to – and sometimes through – the whistle on every snap. No play is over until Carson Wentz says it is.

That leads to some incredible moments, such as a season-opener a few years ago between these two teams, when the quarterback did this:

Yet just as often, that kind of play from the quarterback leads to moments like this:

This is a 3rd and 9 situation early in the third quarter, with the Eagles clinging to a three-point lead. Washington rushes just four here, and Wentz initially has nowhere to go with the football. The pocket begins to collapse, and the QB tries to fight and extend the play.

He ends up taking a sack for a loss of 12 yards, and the ensuing field goal try would come up short.

Look at this play from the end zone angle:

This is the duality of Wentz. He has a chance to simply throw this football away and avoid the costly sack, but he is driven to fight deep into the play and try to make something happen. That has made him who he is, and it dates back to his days at North Dakota State.

The problem? It leads to moments like this. For every escape such as the one to Nelson Agholor at the start of the 2017 season, there is a sack such as this which proves costly.

Wentz was sacked eight times on the afternoon, and watch the final time he goes down, which comes with just over three minutes left in the game, and with Philadelphia trailing by ten:

Once more, Wentz gets pressured, this time in the form of Young and Da’Ron Payne. The quarterback tries valiantly to fight in the pocket, but he ends up coughing up the football, and any chance at a comeback.

Getting players like Lane Johnson will help this Eagles’ offense protect Wentz better. But ultimately, the quarterback might need to do a better job at protecting himself. The problem is that that goes against everything in his nature as a quarterback, and everything we have seen from him dating back to his days with the Bison. Wentz is a fighter. That makes him special at times. But sometimes, the hardest fight a quarterback faces is knowing when to wave the white flag.