By Jordan Long
On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles dropped their 4th straight game this time to the Green Bay Packers 30-16. The Eagles even benched starting quarterback Carson Wentz midway through the 3rd quarter in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts. Hurts helped the Eagles score 13, 4th quarter points. Philadelphia is now 3-8-1 on the year. The Eagles will need to decide on who will start next week against the New Orleans Saints.
Wentz has been the starter all year but has struggled to read defenses. When they start moving the ball and are in a position to score, he turns it over. Wentz forces the ball into double coverage when there is another receiver open. If it isn’t intercepted, it is batted down for an incompletion. Wentz has tossed for 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns but a career high 15 interceptions. His completion percentage is a disappointing 57.4%.
It hasn’t been all his fault. The offensive line is not protecting him. He is being pressured and those are often sacks with a total of 50. He also fails to protect the football with 6 fumbles, far too many.
On Sunday Wentz was 6 of 15 passing. The offense had a difficult time gaining yards and moving the chains. He finished with 79 passing yards. The Eagles needed a spark down 20-3 with 7:38 left in the 3rd quarter. Hurts was put in the game and he was clearly better than Wentz. Hurts led the Eagles to 13 points in the 4th quarter even though it was too little too late. Hurtz ended the game 5 of 12 passing for 109 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.
The Eagles have a decision to make as they begin to prepare for the Saints. According to ESPN, Head Coach Doug Pederson said, “I’ve got to get through injuries, I’ve got to get through the tape, there’s a lot of things that I’m going to consider and evaluate before anything is decided.”
The choice is easy. Hurts should be named the starter this week. The Eagles’ offense was better when he was in the game. He kept drives alive and helped put up points on the scoreboard. If Hurts starts, Wentz is the backup. The worst case is Hurts struggles against a pretty stout Saints defense which forces Pederson to go back to Wentz. The Eagles will do what they feel is best for them to give them the best chance to win.
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