Carson Wentz lowlight montage shows Commanders should consider QB change

The Washington Commanders ended a fast-and-furious week with a victory over the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. The win snapped a four-game losing streak and temporarily means the Commanders still have something to play for this season, but they still have a lot of concerns, including Carson Wentz.

We’re fully aware Wentz was banged up in the game. He entered with a strained bicep tendon in his throwing arm that had the Commanders second-guessing his status. During the game, though, Wentz’s throwing hand collided with a Bears defender and he was in visible discomfort from there on out. The broadcast showed Wentz shaking his hand after almost every dropback.

Finally, Wentz was seen getting his ankle wrapped after a fourth quarter scramble, so the quarterback was nowhere near 100%.

If you were expecting a “but” or “however,” here it comes. Despite the injuries, Wentz’s accuracy issues reared their head in the game.

While Curtis Samuel had a pair of brutal drops, the following clips show the Commanders need to keep their options open at quarterback. And none of this Taylor Heinicke chatter. Sam Howell should be the replacement if a change is made.

Carson Wentz’s poor accuracy in Week 6 shows the Commanders need to consider a QB change in the future.

The first clip is a pretty damning encapsulation of Wentz’s shortcomings as a quarterback. On the play, Wentz had tunnel vision for JD McKissic, who got open on a simple curl route coming out of the backfield only for Wentz to sail the pass over his head and nearly into the arms of a hopeful Bears defender.

While McKissic was open, you’ll notice Terry McLaurin running free in the middle of the field. Somehow, Wentz didn’t spot his No. 1 receiver.

That’s just inexcusable. Though open, McKissic likely would’ve gotten tackle immediately upon hauling in the pass with the Bears defender closing fast. McLaurin, though, had enough real estate in front of him to pick up an easy first down.

Next up is a Wentz staple: folding under pressure and taking a sack without realizing Curtis Samuel went uncovered on the play.

Wentz barely had time to drop back to pass, yes, but a legitimate quarterback would’ve felt Jaquan Brisker coming off the edge and executed a quick-release pass to Samuel, who would’ve had one man to beat for a TD assuming Dyami Brown delivered a block on his defender. You love Samuel’s odds in that situation.

This clip is another example of Wentz panicking under pressure.

Good job from Wentz to get the ball out, but he was so concerned about the oncoming rusher that he didn’t deliver an accurate pass to McKissic. If you look at the left side of the screen, Samuel was left uncovered on an out route toward the sideline, but Wentz was focused on McLaurin and McKissic on the right.

This might’ve been Wentz’s worst drive of the season. It featured a handful of misfires, culminating is this underthrown ball to McLaurin, who had a step on his defender for a potential touchdown but Wentz didn’t give him a chance.

We all know McLaurin is a beast in contested-catch situations. If that pass has more elevation and distance, you like his chances to haul it in.

We couldn’t find a clip for Wentz’s final lowlight, but it was just as egregious as the others. Remember in second half when an off-balance Wentz threw an inaccurate pass to Gibson on a designed screen? The play included a gorgeous option fake to Samuel, which drew multiple defenders. Had Wentz hit Gibson in stride, he might’ve taken it to the house. Alas, it went for a short gain.

We’re not saying Wentz is the Commanders’ biggest problem and his performance and stats (just 99 passing yards, 4.5 yards per attempt, 66.3 rating) would’ve looked a lot better had Samuel reeled in that deep ball, but these are fundamental mistakes that are costing Washington dearly.

If they keep happening, the calls for Howell will only get louder.