How did Carson Wentz do in his first game without Jordan Matthews?
The Eagles kicked off game two of the preseason without wide receiver Jordan Matthews.
Last week the Philadelphia Eagles made headlines when they traded away wide receiver Jordan Matthews. It was shocking to see a team who had arguably one of the worst wide receiving corps in the NFL last year trade away their most consistent receiver from the last three years. The move made sense, but it was also still a big gamble. So how did the Eagles do in the passing game without him?
To make long stories short, it was very shaky. It was pretty obvious that Carson Wentz wasn’t looking too sharp out there. We aren’t sure if this was a mental thing or if he was just off of his game, but whatever the case, it looked bad.
Aside from tight end Zach Ertz, Matthews was Wentz’ go-to target from last season all the way up until last week. This week, he had Nelson Agholor starting in the slot with Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith on the outside. The rookie Mack Hollins saw some snaps with the first-team as well. Unfortunately, Wentz was not able to connect with him at all this week.
More from Inside the Iggles
- Eagles LB Nakobe Dean jokingly makes his pitch for an assistant GM role
- Eagles captains earn high praise on roster blending veteran leadership, youth
- How former Eagles star Cre’Von LeBlanc helped Renegades upstage Cowboys
- Eagles 2023 schedule: Every WR duo Darius Slay, James Bradberry will battle
- Imagining better names for Jason Kelce’s Good Guy Award
Take a look at the numbers…
Alshon Jeffery’s Eagles debut took a while, but he finally suited up last night. He had two catches for 28 yards. Although he was targeted a few more times, Wentz threw some un-catchable balls his way. Again, the chemistry between the two hasn’t made its way to in-game situations. We expect to see a much better connection in the third preseason game when they’ll both play for more than one-quarter.
As for Agholor, we’ve seen a small upgrade in production. He had two catches for 28 yards, including a nice 21-yard reception that he picked up mostly with his running. The new-and-improved Agholor has showed some flashes on Thursday, but he has to remain consistent.
Next: 15 Things learned from Eagles’ second preseason game
So far, Wentz doesn’t seem to be settled in with the fact that his go-to guy is gone. His main focus next week would have to be forming a better chemistry with the weapons that he has now. He seems to be making smart decisions with his throws and avoiding the rush but he has to get the ball to his receivers.
Wentz ended his night with six completions off of nine attempts to give him a total of 56 yards. It was a plus that he avoided sacks and interceptions, but the first-team offense was unable to put at six points on the board when they were given opportunities. Next week will be the true test to see if Wentz can form some sort of chemistry with his receivers now that he’s unable to rely on Matthews.