FanPost

Wentz was good in 2018/2019. Please stop pretending he wasn't.

Whatever your opinion on Wentz, I’ve seen a lot of talk about how he ‘only had one good season’, referring to his sophomore campaign where he was the MVP frontrunner before he went down. I vehemently disagree with this, so I’ll be using counting and advanced stats to prove my point. Remember all stats are usually rounded, because I don’t want to give you all7 decimal points.

First, we start with the counting stats, and here are first the raw stats year by year:

2017: 13 GS, 60.2% comp pct, 3,296 yds, 33 TD, 7 INT

2018: 11 GS, 69.6% comp pct, 3,074 yds, 21 TD, 7 INT

2019: 16 GS, 63.9% comp pct, 4,039 yds, 27 TD, 7 INT

Average Game (2017-2019): 23.3 comp/36.2 att 260 yards passing, 2.025 touchdown passes, .525 INT

2017-2019 16 Game Season Average, Rounded: 373 completions, 579 attempts, 4,160 yards, 32 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, Passer Rating of 98.43.

Now, Just 2018 and 2019:

Average Game: 37.3 attempts per game, 24.7 completions, ~66.3% completion percentage, 263.44 yards passing, 1.77 touchdowns, .518 interceptions

16 game pace: 395 completions, 596 attempts, 4,215 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, Passer rating of ~96.85

Statistical Achievements:

  • Single Season Eagles TD Pass Record Holder (33, 2017)

  • Single Season Eagles Passing Yards Leader (4,039, 2019)

  • First Eagles QB to throw a TD in all 16 regular season games

  • First NFL QB in history with three straight seasons of 20+ TD passes with 7 or fewer interceptions

  • First NFL QB to throw for 4,000 yards without a WR eclipsing over 500 yards receiving

Advanced stats: Would you consider Wentz’s 2017 season good? Well, his 2018/19 campaigns are comparable. In terms of depth of target, it’s fallen from 9.8 in 2017 to 7.6 and 7.9 in 2018/2019. As one would expect, his percentage of catchable passes went higher and higher. According to Sports Info Solutions, His Catchable Ball % was 6.5 points from 2017 to 2018, and fell back to near 2017 numbers during last season. Compared from Last season to 2017, his deep pass completion percentage rose by 4 points, as well as being more accurate by 3 percentage points in the short area of the field. His interceptions were never an issue from 2017-2019, with it ranging from 1.2 to 1.7 percent over those three years. And if those three years were his whole career, his 3.8 TD/INT Ratio would be 3rd all time, comfortably ahead of Russel Wilson, but still behind just two of the greatest talents to ever play quarterback, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. And to further put into how accurate he was in 2018, over the years 2017-2019, only 4 players had a season more accurate than Wentz was in 2018. Drew Brees in 2018, Drew Brees in 2019, Jimmy Garoppolo in 2019, and Drew Brees in 2017.

To further put into perspective Wentz’s 2019 season, he had the 4th lowest YAC per completions among qualified quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Reference. And per their charting, his drop rate was only 4.7%, I don’t think I need to remind you when three of those crucial drops came. And Wentz was actually ranked second in QB hurries, as 9th in QB hits and 4th in QB Pressures as well as 11th in pressure percentage. Meaning either by his own doing or the offensive line, he was under pressure more than normal.

So, what should we do with these stats? I don’t know, that’s up to you. But in my opinion, and whatever yours is on Wentz play now, I simply can’t say he was ‘bad’ in 2018/19 or that he ‘only had one good season’. Because in what season was, he bad? In 2017, where he was bonkers on both extending drives (third down) and finishing them (red zone), and set the single season Eagles touchdown record, and was on his way to throw almost 40 touchdown passes. In 2018, he had the fifth most accurate season over the three-year stretch, and even his higher interception percentage can be attributed to one no good, very bad game where he threw three picks. Oh yeah, he was also coming off of major reconstructive knee surgery and might have been playing with a broken back for some of it. In 2019, he ranked among the league's best in statistical categories, was cost games due to the receiving core, and still managed to win 4 straight games and lead the eagles into January, setting multiple club and league records along the way. So, is that his down season? Because here are his per game numbers for every season.

253 yards, 60.2% completion percentage, 2.5 TD, .53 INT
279 yards, 69.6% completion percentage, 1.9 TD, .63 INT

252 yards, 63.9% completion percentage, 1.6 TD, .43 INT

So, bash Wentz’s play all you want this year, I’ll do it too. But it's unfair to say he wasn’t ever good, or he only had one good season. This isn’t a prediction of his future, but rather a reflection on his past. Whatever happens next, he was a legitimate franchise QB for three years. I wrote this because I’m frustrated when someone says ‘he’s only had one good season’ or ‘Stop looking at the TD/INT ratio and use your eyes’. To me, this is more of a personal thing than anything else. But the way I personally see it, it's irresponsible to say he wasn't good enough the past two years.