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Things have not been going well for Carson Wentz this season, but they got even worse on Sunday evening against the Packers. The Eagles offense started with a promising first drive that resulted in a field goal, but then it was pretty much more of the same — including Wentz being sacked 4 times in the first half.
Eventually, rookie Jalen Hurts took the field for an entire series in the third quarter, and showed enough promise to get the QB nod on the next offensive possession.
When Wentz left the game, he was 6-of-15 pass attempts for 79 yards, and those four sacks resulted in 22 lost yards. On Hurts’ first series, he ran the ball twice for 4 yards and threw a deep 34-yard pass to fellow rookie, Jalen Reagor. It was a quick drive down the field, and not something we’ve seen often lately.
Hurts finished the game 5-of-12 for 109 yards, one touchdown (his first career TD) and one interception, plus 5 carries for 29 yards.
It was reported that owner Jeff Lurie gave the green light to put in Hurts should Wentz struggle last week, and head coach Doug Pederson apparently followed through. Hurts saw the field earlier in the night for his first NFL completion — a play with Wentz on the sideline — and then a couple of snaps throughout the remainder of the first half.
Wentz’s issues aren’t isolated to Sunday’s game against Green Bay, he’s facing a career worst season in pretty much every area of his game — turnovers, completions, yards per attempt, etc... Through Week 12, the QB had 16 touchdowns to 15 interceptions and 10 fumbles. 25 turnovers! That’s a big problem.
Sure, the offensive line this season has been ever-changing and filled with young, inexperienced players — players who have allowed 50 sacks so far — but not all of Wentz’s troubles can be attributed to bad protection. He’s struggled to establish a rapport with most of the skill players, and when things do seemingly line up, his accuracy just isn’t there.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens next week, and whether or not the change to Jalen Hurts was a one-time deal, or something we should get used to through the remainder of the season. Something has to change — and maybe it’s Hurts at QB.