All was not great for the Commanders’ attack in the first half. That includes re-running Antonio Gibson continuing with his case of clumsy times. A full-time starter for Washington last season, Taylor Heinicke also had an interception to end a long hit late in the first half.
Focusing on the micro here, Wentz turned some of the big questions about his summer performance into live action game success.
“It’s a lot better than you credit him, just for the way things are in reality,” Rivera said, via ESPN’s John Keim (h/t Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk) There are so many little nuances that we find that we look at that we have to consider. Yes, there are some inaccuracies. But there’s nothing that we care too much about [about]. “
Wentz, 29, has been criticized for his performance in his final season with the Eagles in 2020 as he leads the league in interceptions with 15.
This led to Philadelphia’s decision to leave Wentz in favor of Jalen Hurts, a former trade for the Indianapolis Colts. Wentz lasted only one season in Indy with questions about his leadership. However, his stats are much better than anything we saw from Commanders quarterbacks a season ago.
- Carson Wentz stats (2021): Completed 62%, 3,563 yards, 27 TDs, 7 INTs, rated 94.6 QB
- Washington Command’s QB stats (2021): Completed 65%, 3,746 yards, 21 TD, 15 INT, 85.8 QB rank
With a new contract for his football life, Wentz is now having to improve his form. He was enjoying a fresh start with the Commanders, and finally felt he was in the right place.
“I think for anyone, that just builds confidence. It built confidence in myself,” said Carson Wentz at the start of training camp, through NBC Sports Washington. “I’ll always think of myself as a confident person, but hearing that from someone else, from the head coach, definitely instills that confidence even more.”
If the Commanders can unlock Wentz, they could surprise the masses by competing against the Dallas Cowboys and his old Eagles team in the NFC East.
Despite the small sample size, Saturday’s performance must be viewed as encouraging.
