Carson Wentz sack montage vs Eagles shows QB’s biggest flaws

The Washington Commanders’ Week 3 loss the Philadelphia Eagles had several concerning storylines. The defense dared Jalen Hurts to beat them with his arm and he did just that to the tune of 333 yards and three scores. The big takeaway, however, was the offensive line’s inability to protect Carson Wentz.

This is the second-straight week the offensive line started off slow. While they rebounded against the Lions after a brutal first half, the group was ineffective throughout four quarters of Sunday’s thumping against the Eagles.

When the dust settled, Wentz was sacked nine times.

While Wes Schweitzer, Andrew Norwell, Trai Turner and Sam Cosmi all had days to forget (Schweitzer and Cosmi combined to allow 11 pressures), it’d be foolish to assume all of the sacks were solely on the offensive line. The pressures are a different story, but this montage of every Eagles sack shows Wentz deserves to shoulder A LOT of the blame.

Even worse? The sacks revealed some of Wentz’s biggest flaws as a QB.

Carson Wentz’s sack montage vs the Eagles revealed the Commanders QB’s biggest flaws.

How many of those were on Wentz? At least four, right? Whether it be failing to locate an outlet or simply walking into sacks, Wentz has to be better. Eagles and Colts fans would be the first to attest to the fact that Wentz combusts when he’s forced to navigate consistent pressure.

Ironically, Wentz was one of the league’s best QBs in a pressured pocket last season, according to Pro Football Focus. His 57.6 grade under pressure trailed only six quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, among others, for the best in the NFL.

Of course, there’s a big difference between delivering in a pressured pocket and coiling up and forgetting how to play the position and Wentz personified the latter on Sunday with Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat and Fletcher Cox finding their way into the backfield on a consistent basis.

Take Wentz’s second-quarter fumble as a prime example. He had Antonio Gibson and Armani Rogers (maybe Logan Thomas) wide open for a short completion. You know how Wentz has been killed for playing hero ball too much instead of taking what the defense gives him? That was evident on this play.

Look how open Gibson and the TE were before the Eagles got home.

Want to hear a telling stat? Wentz has had the third-most pocket time of any quarterback in the league through three weeks at 2.7 seconds, per Fantasy Pros. The 29-year-old has to show better poise and pocket awareness. Either he steps up into the middle too late and walks into a horde of defensive linemen when there’s pressure coming off the edge or just holds onto the ball for way too long.

Yes, the offensive line has to be better, especially the interior, and offensive coordinator Scott Turner didn’t adjust fast enough, but the Commanders are screwed if Wentz continues to be rattled in the face of pressure.

You might say Sunday was an anomaly, but Washington travels to Dallas this week, and the Cowboys pressured Daniel Jones 24 times Monday night so Wentz will immediately be put to the test after the nightmare that was Week 3.