After putting together three straight highly productive seasons (and a truly great season in 2017), Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has been downright awful in 2020. Wentz entered Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers with 16 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and a 73.4 passer rating.
Well, Wentz wasn’t any better in Sunday’s 30-16 loss, completing 6-of-15 passes for 79 yards (5.3 AVG), zero touchdowns, and a 57.4 passer rating. After the Packers took a 20-3 lead in the third quarter, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson finally benched Carson Wentz in favor of rookie second-round pick Jalen Hurts. And Hurts actually gave the Eagles some life.
On his first drive after replacing Wentz, Hurts threw a dime to rookie Jalen Reagor for a 34-yard gain.
.@JalenHurts goes deep to @JalenReagor 🎯 #FlyEaglesFly
📺: #PHIvsGB on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/5w0t6mAzQq pic.twitter.com/0LPvFOGX23— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2020
And on 4th-and-18 in the fourth quarter, Hurts threw his first career touchdown pass with a 32-yard toss on the move to Greg Ward.
.@JalenHurts has his first NFL touchdown!#PHIvsGB | #FlyEaglesFly
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/TuRPDyFU0k
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 6, 2020
Hurts showed his mobility on that play, and he also used his legs to produce in the running game, with five carries for 29 yards (5.8 AVG). Overall in the passing game, he completed 5-of-12 passes for 109 yards (9.1 AVG), one touchdown, and one interception. The interception came in the final two minutes, and — while an ugly play — was primarily a result of the Packers’ pass-rush (and took a great diving catch by Darnell Savage).
annnnnd now Jalen Hurts' first career interception pic.twitter.com/99zI8yIARx
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 7, 2020
The Eagles are now 3-8-1 and have lost four straight games (and despite all of this, they’re still alive in the NFC East, where the New York Giants are in first place at 5-7). It will be interesting to see which quarterback the Eagles choose to start in Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints, but it’s pretty clear at this point that it’s not going to work with Wentz in the 2020 season. The Eagles might as well see what Hurts can do for a few games and reassess the quarterback position in the offseason.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.