Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz must prove he can win indoors
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has a lousy track record against teams on the road when playing indoors. Can he improve his that this week?
Playing in a dome is nothing new for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Carson Wentz. After all, his college team, North Dakota State played ball inside. Typically, playing in a dome for quarterbacks is easy because the conditions tend to be perfect. However, it’s different for the visitor, though.
When playing with the Bison, Wentz had the advantage of playing in perfect conditions and having the crowd remain quiet while the offense was at work. Playing with the Philadelphia Eagles though, the situation is much different. Not only do they play their home games outside, but the games they do happen to play inside, they are going against the crowd.
Fans screaming at the top of their lungs indoors creates a hectic environment for the opposing offense. And three years into Carson Wentz’s career, he’s proven to struggle at times when playing indoors. This week, Wentz will visit a hostile environment in Atlanta for Sunday Night Football where the stakes will be high. And the Falcons anticipate a monster turnout.
Dan Quinn talks home-field advantage
The good news is that tons of Eagles fans will be taking a trip to Atlanta this weekend. To no surprise, the Philly faithful will attempt to take over stadiums this season. While we’re confident that Eagles fans will create a nice turnout, it’s doubtful it will make a dramatic difference.
“I am definitely expecting us to have home-field advantage,” Falcons head coach Dan Quinn mentioned on Thursday. “The intensity that our crowd will bring will definitely be a factor.” As the Falcons are coming off of an embarrassing loss on the road to the Minnesota Vikings, they are looking to avoid falling in an 0-2 hole to start the season.
Therefore, Quinn expects Falcons fans to be out in full force doing all they can to help the team out and distract the Eagles loaded offense. While it looks like Carson Wentz has built up a strong connection with his new and old weapons, he still has a lot to prove on Sunday night.
Can Wentz shake a bad narrative?
Carson Wentz has a solid record as the Eagles starter. However, when it comes to playing teams on the road who play indoors, he hasn’t exactly played his best ball. Dating back to his rookie year in 2016, Wentz has played five games in a dome. Once in Detroit and New Orleans. And three times against NFC East rivals, the Dallas Cowboys.
Wentz’s current record in three seasons playing in a dome? An unfavorable 1-4. His lone win came against Dallas during their Super Bowl season in 2017, just a few weeks before Wentz’s injury mishaps came about. Can all four of those losses get pinned on Wentz? Not exactly.
But that doesn’t particularly change the narrative that Wentz isn’t the same player in these hostile types of environment. During those five matchups, he’s thrown for eight touchdowns, and four interceptions. His average passer rating? A slightly average 88.4.
Not to mention, Wentz played the worst game of his career in a dome against the New Orleans Saints just last year. He completed under 60-percent of his passes, threw for zero scores and three interceptions. He logged his worst passer rating to date with an abysmal 31.9
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That’s not to say that Wentz will have a repeat performance against Atlanta this week. The hope is that history does not repeat itself indoors for No. 11.
However, Wentz does have a lot prove this season beyond just staying healthy all year long. He also has to go out and win big games on the road in tough conditions for the visitors. The hope is that he can prove doubters wrong this Sunday night.