After every Philadelphia Eagles’ game this season, it seems as if we are asking the same question. When are the Eagles going to bench starting quarterback Carson Wentz in favor of rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts?
It is a constant question that fails to get answered, despite the starting quarterback leading the league in interceptions with 15. On Monday night, that question was once again not answered in the team’s 23-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in primetime.
Before Monday night’s game, it was reported that Hurts received first-team snaps at practice. This piece of news led to speculation that Wentz could be benched sooner than later for the rookie if he does not begin to play better.
Then on Monday evening, Geoff Mosher of Inside The Birds reported that Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie gave a directive to play Hurts if Wentz struggles.
BREAKING FROM @GeoffMosherNFL: #Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie gave directive to play Hurts if #Wentz struggles. Came from the top. https://t.co/ef73czmCbb
— Inside the Birds (@InsideBirds) November 30, 2020
Against Seattle on Monday night, Hurts made an appearance in the second quarter. He completed a pass to Alshon Jeffery for six yards, but that was it for him.
Meanwhile, Wentz did not look great for another week due to various circumstances such as poor offensive line play and head coach Doug Pederson’s horrendous playcalling.
That being said, Wentz still failed to make correct reads and had his weekly turnover. Did I also mention that he underthrew tight end Dallas Goedert a couple of times on Monday night?
The fifth-year quarterback completed 55 percent of his passes for 245 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. It was another game where it left you wondering if Hurts will get a shot or how long will Pederson continue to trot out Wentz?
The constant mistakes that Wentz makes weekly are maddening and are something you should not see from a fifth-year quarterback, who was making a push for the league’s MVP in 2017. The regression that we are witnessing from him is puzzling and, obviously, wouldn’t be tolerated by any other quarterback.
Earlier this season, both Mitch Trubisky and Dwayne Haskins were benched by their respective teams, and they didn’t play anywhere as bad as Wentz. In fact, Haskins was benched after passing for over 300 yards against a good Ravens’ defense.
Now granted, many fans will point to the Eagles’ failure to not run the ball with second-year running back Miles Sanders, which is another column for another day. Or the poor offensive line play, the wide receivers not getting open, and Pederson’s horrendous playcalling for Wentz’s struggles.
While all that may be true, when will some of the blame fall on Wentz’s shoulders?
This season, we’ve witnessed Deshaun Watson play outstanding football this season behind a terrible offensive line and a non-existent running game.
How about Cam Newton? He’s throwing to wide receivers named Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd, who both had a couple of 100-yard receiving games in the last four weeks.
Wentz isn’t making the necessary plays with the weapons at his disposal, which aren’t the worst in the NFL. Therefore, what’s the issue with giving Hurts a start or two?
The Eagles invested a second-round pick in Hurts to not just be a gadget/ wildcat player. It’s time to put an end to the Hurts-Wentz on the field at the same time play. It is not fooling anybody and it is doing a disservice to everybody involved.
Regardless, how you feel about Hurts, he was drafted to step in for the team’s starting quarterback.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the reservation to pull Wentz in favor of Hurts. The Eagles invested a lot of money into Wentz, and benching him would look like they are admitting a mistake.
But at this point in the season, where the Eagles have a record of 3-7-1, it does not hurt to see what you have in Hurts. If Wentz has a turnover or two against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Pederson has to make the tough call to bench him for Hurts.
Will Hurts magically make this offense complete and have them running at 100% capacity? Not in the least, but he brings a different energy and skills under center, which made him great at both Alabama and Oklahoma.
But that’s just one solution to try to fix a broken Philadelphia Eagles’ team, which will no doubt make wholesale changes in the offseason.
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