Welcome to Carson Wentz’s Wild Ride

By Ralph Vacchiano
FOX Sports NFC East Writer

Carson Wentz thought he had a touchdown the moment the ball left his hands. Ron Rivera seemed to think so, too. Neither of them saw the Titans linebacker who was about to pick Wentz off and push the Commanders season to the brink.

“That,” Wentz said after the game on Sunday, “was an emotional rollercoaster.”

Welcome to Carson Wentz’s Wild Ride.

In what was very much a typical Wentz performance, he gave plenty of fuel to his supporters before lighting a raging fire for his critics. He completed 25 of 38 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns, and led an outstanding, 17-play, 87-yard drive that had the Commanders on the verge of a wonderful, come-from-behind win.

Then his last pass, from the 2-yard line, was picked off by linebacker David Long at the goal line, allowing the Titans to escape Washington with a 21-17 win.

And just like that, the Commanders were 1-4, deep in the basement of the NFC East, contemplating if their season is already lost. Wentz “had his moments,” Rivera said. “There were some things that he did really well.”

It’s just the other things and moments that turn the Wentz experience into a sometimes nauseating, head-spinning trip.

“I think our quarterback’s done some good things,” Rivera said on Monday afternoon. “There’s been a couple games where he’s struggled. … But the way he performed yesterday? It just shows you what he’s capable of.”

OK, maybe that’s true. But Rivera still opened some ears and eyes on Monday when he was asked why the other NFC East teams have seemingly been able to rebuild their franchises faster than he’s been able to do with the Commanders. He gave a one-word, headline-grabbing answer:

“Quarterback.”

Rivera went on to explain that the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys have had more time to build around their quarterbacks—and that includes in Dallas, where the Cowboys are on a 4-0 run with backup Cooper Rush. Wentz has only been with the Commanders for seven months.

But the Commanders’ time is already running out in 2022. Wentz’s struggles against the Eagles and Cowboys, his six interceptions (second worst in the league) and his game-ending pick on Sunday have sounded the alarms. It’s also re-opened the question of whether the Commanders’ offseason decision to trade for Wentz and his $28.2 million salary cap hit was the right call.

“I got no regrets about our quarterback,” Rivera said. “We chose him because we believe in him.”

Presumably they went into the decision with their eyes open, knowing that the quarterback they were acquiring from the Indianapolis Colts wasn’t always as good as he sometimes seemed. It’s true that when he’s good, Wentz can be very, very good. But too often, in big spots and big games, either his play or his decisions become very bad.

And that’s exactly what happened on Sunday, in a game the Commanders absolutely had to win. Playing without two of his best targets—rookie receiver Jahan Dotson and tight end Logan Thomas—and with a running game that couldn’t get going at all (17 carries, 43 yards), Wentz did everything he could to win the game. He even threw two touchdowns to Dotson’s replacement, Dyami Brown.

His game was dazzling if you ignore his last pass—which, of course, is impossible to do. Rivera is not wrong that Long made “a heck of a play … not only did he jam Terry (McLaurin) but he was able to slingshot himself into the way of making a play on the ball.” He also defended Wentz’s decision, saying “If that’s the read you have and that’s the throw you’re going to make, that’s a pretty good decision.”

But was it really? The play was clearly designed to go to running back J.D. McKissic, since Wentz never once took his eyes off him. And McKissic, who lined up to Wentz’s left, was indeed open—though not exactly “wide open,” as Rivera described after the game. He was at about the 2-yard line when Wentz began his windup, and he was headed towards a goal-line collision with Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton, who had dropped a yard deep into the end zone, but was closing fast.

It’s not at all clear that McKissic would’ve scored or even held onto the ball had the pass gotten through—which makes it a problematic play call with 9 seconds remaining since the Commanders had no timeouts and if it’s completed and McKissic doesn’t score, the game is over. But that didn’t matter because Long, who was lined up inside McKissic, clearly saw where Wentz was looking, shoved off McLaurin and was already leaning back in McKissic’s direction, maybe a yard-and-a-half away, when Wentz started to throw.

Should Wentz have seen that? It’s obviously easier to describe the play after watching the film in slow-motion than it is for a quarterback to see in real time. Then again, Wentz is being paid that $28.2 million to be able to see it all quickly and make the correct choice.

There’s more to the criticism of Wentz than just one throw, though. The Commanders’ offense was a mess the previous two weeks, in losses to the Eagles and the Cowboys. And while a lot of the blame was rightfully placed on the crumbling offensive line—Wentz was sacked 11 times and hit 28 times in those games—the quarterback deserved at least some of the blame for holding onto the ball too long.

But even on Sunday, when he wasn’t pressured nearly as often, there was still a disconnect between his final stats and the results. The Commanders were a painful 1 of 11 on third downs. Wentz was 3 for 9 for 17 yards on third down, with one fumbled snap, one sack, and that game-ending interception. Only one of his three completions actually went for a first down, and that was on the final drive with 24 seconds left.

The Commanders also reached the red zone just once in 11 drives—Wentz’s touchdown passes to Brown were 30 and 75 yards. And in that lone trip to the red zone on the final drive, Wentz was 0 for 3, with that interception. The Commanders only reached the 2 thanks to a defensive pass interference call at the goal line on Fulton on what might have been an uncatchable pass.

See the pattern? Wentz’s critics do. He plays great, but then doesn’t in key spots, especially in the real big spots when games are on the line. It’s a criticism Wentz has heard many times before, and one he insisted he’s learned to better handle over the years.

“I think never doubt yourself, never lose confidence, always trying to be the same,” Wentz said. “Whether you win and you’re on the highs of the highs or the lows of the lows, no matter what it looks like, always try to be the same. Come in ready to work and keep getting better and never lose any confidence in yourself.”

For now, he has the confidence of the Commanders, too. But for how long? Part of the appeal of the Commanders decision to trade for Wentz was that he has no guaranteed money left on his contract after this season. That means Rivera and the Commanders will have to decide if he’s the right quarterback to build around, if he can lead them to a championship, and if he’s worth keeping around in 2023.

Those are questions for later, though. For now, Rivera insisted “You see some of the command Carson has in the game” and insisted that “he’s starting to grasp and get the feel of (the offense).” He seems to believe that, in time, Wentz can be the one to turn the Commanders into contenders.

“The truth is that this is a quarterback-driven league,” Rivera said. “If you look at the teams that have been able to sustain success, they’ve been able to build it around a specific quarterback.

“Now we have a guy we think we have a chance to build around.”

It’s just apparently going to take a little bit longer, and it’s likely to be a very bumpy ride.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.