NEWSLETTER
It’s been a rough week for Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz.
And it is only Tuesday.
On Monday, Wentz was bus-tossed by his head coach when Ron Rivera was giving answers about why Washington was lagging behind the rest of the NFC East. Rivera’s answer? Quarterback:
One day later, Wentz found himself on Washington’s estimated injury report as a limited participant with a shoulder issue. And it doesn’t sound like it’s something to be taken lightly:
Bus-tossed by your coach? Check. Landing on the injury report? Double check. Yeah, I’d say Wentz’s week is off to a rough start.
And to think, there was a belief that the Bears were – at one time – considering swinging a deal for Wentz. No, seriously. That was a thing we were sorting through in 2021. It didn’t happen. But there was wild speculation as Philly was trying to negotiate through the media. And analyst Dave Wannstedt was among those predicting Wentz would be Chicago’s QB1 in 2021. In the end, Wentz went to the Colts without the Bears making an offer. Whew. And later this week, he’ll arrive in Chicago as an opponent.
And to think, the Bears *COULD* make Wentz’s week even rougher.
Matt Eberflus Should Know Wentz Well From Their Time With the Colts
Think about it. If any team is best equipped to give Wentz fits, it should be the Bears. Head Coach Matt Eberflus was the Colts’ defensive coordinator last year when Wentz was Indy’s quarterback. Bears defensive staffers Alan Williams (Defensive Coordinator), Dave Borgonzi (LBs Coach), James Rowe (DBs Coach), David Overstreet II (Assistant DBs) were also Indianapolis coaches last year. This collection of coaches should know Wentz quite well. They should know his strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies by now. Throw in a healthy Jaylon Johnson returning to the lineup and a defense that should be amped up after giving up its first second-half touchdown at the most inopportune time of the year, and we’ve got signs suggesting Wentz is prime to be picked, sacked, and roughed up (within the letter of the law, of course … don’t need stupid penalties to muck things up).
Wentz, who left Indy on not-so-great terms, has had an up-and-down year in Washington. There have been three games (vs. Jacksonville, Detroit, and Tennessee) with a passer rating north of 99.0 for Wentz. I would consider that to be notable in terms of assessing where he is as a QB. But also notable are back-to-back games against Philly and Dallas that are eye-opening in the worst ways. In those games, Wentz completed fewer than 59 percent of his passes, threw more INTs (2) than TDs (1), and had a total 63.9 passer rating. That’s not going to cut it for a veteran quarterback who the Commanders sent real draft capital to acquire from the Colts.
Remember when Washington saw its Super Bowl odds GET WORSE after the Wentz trade? Fun times.
