Eagles offense continues to prove Carson Wentz isn’t their lone issue
By now, you should have learned that Carson Wentz isn’t the Philadelphia Eagles; lone issue on offense.
A familiar theme was introduced in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ second-straight loss in Week 12 versus the Seattle Seahawks. The defense played well enough to secure the win, while this past summer’s most anticipated offense, led by Carson Wentz, continued to lag behind.
Wentz’s inaccuracy and inability to take care of the football sunk the Eagles’ chances for a win, but the problems this Eagles team is experiencing extend much further than just Wentz’s down year.
That’s not to say Wentz isn’t one of the issues. He clearly is. The fourth-year quarterback is struggling to make plays on a weekly basis, leading to what the Football Outsiders have labeled an average offensive DVOA of 11th through 11 weeks. That’s a far cry from the top-five preseason ranking that many pundits expected.
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The Eagles’ lack of recent success extends beyond both QB1 and the season he’s having. These last two seasons have been an indictment on Doug Pederson and his inability to put players in the best position to succeed. In terms of Wentz, Pederson seems hesitant to show his quarterback that he has the confidence in him to make plays outside of the structure of the offense regardless of what he says to the media.
Pederson and his staff, including offensive coordinator Mike Groh, continue to praise Wentz for his ability to take what the defense gives him. During his Monday press conference that followed the Week 12 loss, Pederson even cited Wentz’s ability to throw to the flat and throw the slant routes.
Isn’t that thinking flawed though?
Look at it this way. If your quarterback’s best attributes are his ability to throw the simple two-yard routes, then, paying him $128 million is quite the misuse of resources. Throwing those passes should be a baseline for what an NFL third-string quarterback should be able to do, not the basis of a gameplan for a franchise signal-caller.
Simply put, Pederson’s offense is not working, and Wentz’s ability to play within the structure of that offense should not be the baseline on judging his performance this year.
Both Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery are averaging career lows in yards-per-catch, at 8.9 and 10.4 yards respectively. Teams are scheming to take away Zach Ertz as we’ve seen throughout the season, particularly with the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots, and the offense isn’t producing explosive plays consistently enough.
Yes, injuries are an issue for the receiving group, but if an offense feels that’s one chance for success lives and dies with a 32-year-old oft-injured receiver in DeSean Jackson, there’s a serious problem.
We know Wentz is capable of so much more than throwing quick slants and flat routes. Just look at his career highlights. Wentz’s best plays are consistently made when the play breaks down and he has to manufacture something for his team. His mixtape is littered with plays from the 2017 Super Bowl season against the likes of the Washington Redskins, the New York Giants, and the Seattle Seahawks. His ability to avoid sacks, extend plays, and make jaw-dropping throws are what make him special.
Pederson needs to put Wentz and the offense in positions to succeed, and that means he needs to let Wentz do what he does best. He needs to move him outside the pocket, let him run the hurry-up, and refrain from letting the success of the offense be determined by a receiver’s ability (or more accurately inability) to get open. Let Wentz extend plays and make those unbelievable throws.
Next. So, you want to trade Wentz huh?. dark
If Philadelphia wants to advance to the postseason for the third-straight year, Pederson needs to seriously reevaluate how he calls a game going forward. Wentz is so much more than a system quarterback, and Pederson needs to treat him as such before the season is out of reach. It’s either that or they can see if the Indianapolis Colts will give Frank Reich back. That last option seems unlikely.